XN000022-1977-01-16 — Page 1

PRH 7

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香港政府

GIS 新聞處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 1977

MARRIAGE STATISTICS FOR 1976

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THE NUMBER OF MARRIAGES REGISTERED IN 1976 REACHED A NEW RECORD TOTAL OF 39,700, BEING 2,066 MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 37,634 IN 1974, THE REGISTRAR GENERAL, MR. P. JACOBS, ANNOUNCED TODAY.

THE TOTAL INCLUDED 4,098 MARRIAGES BETWEEN PARTIES PREVIOUSLY MARRIED OTHERWISE THAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MARRIAGE ORDINANCE, AS COMPARED WITH 5,487 MARRIAGES OF THIS CATEGORY IN 1975. EXCLUDING THESE 'REMARRIAGES' THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED MARRIAGES INCREASED BY 4,897 FROM 30,705 TO 35,602.

THE NEW RECORD MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CURRENT LUNAR YEAR, WHICH BEGAN ON JANUARY 31, 1976, IS A PARTICULARLY AUSPICIOUS YEAR FOR MARRIAGES AMONGST THE CHINESE BECAUSE IT IS THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON AND HAS TWO FIRST DAYS OF SPRING (LAP CHUN) WHEREAS THE PRECEDING LUNAR YEAR WAS A BLIND YEAR, THAT IS TO SAY, A YEAR IN WHICH THERE WAS NO FIRST DAY OF SPRING.

ANOTHER MAJOR FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCREASE IS BELIEVED TO BE THE STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION, WHICH HAS A GROWING NUMBER OF PERSONS WITHIN THE MORE POPULAR AGE GROUPS FOR MARRIAGE (21 TO 24 FOR WOMEN AND 25 TO 29 FOR MEN).

THE NUMBER OF CHURCH MARRIAGES IN 1976 ALSO REACHED A NEW RECORD TOTAL OF 2,928 AS COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 2,413 IN 1975. MOST OF THE REGISTERED MARRIAGES WERE, AS USUAL, CELEBRATED AT THE MARRIAGE REGISTRIES. THE TOTAL OF SUCH MARRIAGES WAS 36,772, BEING 2,993 MORE THAN THE 1975 FIGURE.

IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, REGISTERED MARRIAGES CONTINUED TO INCREASE, WITH A TOTAL OF 8,240 MARRIAGES CELEBRATED, UP BY 1,330 OR 19.25 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH 6,910 IN 1975. THERE ARE NOW FOUR FULL-TIME REGISTRIES AND FOUR PART-TIME REGISTRIES OPERATING IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE TWO PRINCIPAL MARRIAGE REGISTRIES AT THE CITY HALL AND THE KOWLOON GOVERNMENT OFFICES REMAINED THE MOST POPULAR REGISTRIES, WITH 36.98 PER CENT OF ALL REGISTRY MARRIAGES CELEBRATED THERE. ANOTHER POPULAR REGISTRY WAS THE SAN PO KONG REGISTRY, WHERE 6,292 MARRIAGES TOOK PLACE DURING THE YEAR.

THE CITY HALL MARRIAGE REGISTRY CONTINUED TO OPERATE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS DURING THE YEAR AND A TOTAL OF 559 SUNDAY MORNING MARRIAGES WERE PERFORMED. IN MANY CASES, SUNDAY WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE

IT HAPPENED TO BE A LUCKY DAY ACCORDING TO THE CHINESE CALENDAR= IN OTHERS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF CONVENIENCE FOR WORK OR OTHER REASONS.

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Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191