:
provides improved facilities for the public, including a specially furnished marriage room and a reception office of modern design.
147. Under Section 21(4)(b) of the Ordinance, where the Deputy Registrar is satisfied that he and the parties and witnesses all understand the Chinese language or the same dialect thereof, the marriage may be celebrated wholly in that language or dialect, and the great majority of Registry marriages are now celebrated in Chinese without an interpreter. The form of marriage certificate incorporates a Chinese translation of the printed English text, but is completed only in English, except for the characters of Chinese names.
148. During the year five additional places of public worship were licensed for the celebration of marriages under the Ordinance, bringing the total number of licensed places to 133. All marriages performed at licensed places of worship are registered at the principal Registry in the City Hall.
Marriages performed and registered
149. A record number of 20,492 marriages were registered during the year, 3,598 more than in 1967-68 and more than double the number registered in 1959-60. The marked increase followed the general trend of the last decade but was attributed mainly to the fact that the year happened to be an auspicious year in the Chinese Lunar Calendar, having two First Days of Spring (Lap Chun) in it and being therefore very popular for marriages between Chinese. 18,681 civil marriages- 3,334 more than in 1967-68-were performed in the Registries as follows:
Hong Kong
Principal Registry, Hong Kong... Causeway Bay Registry
Aberdeen Registry*
Shau Kei Wan ‘part-time' Registry Western District Registry
•
...
* From 10th February 1969 only.
Kowloon and New Kowloon
Kowloon Registry
Sung Wong Toi Road Registry
Kwun Tong Registry
New Territories (other than New Kowloon)
Tai Po Registry
Tsuen Wan Registry
Yuen Long Registry
Cheung Chau ‘part-time' Registry
Sai Kung 'part-time' Registry
Sha Tau Kok 'part-time' Registry*
...
5,059 ... 1,334
11
41
600
7,045
6,497
**
W
2,941
822
10,260
368
582
370
20
18
18
1,376
18,681
Total
*From 1st November 1968 only.
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