162. The remaining 2,337 marriages were celebrated in licensed places of worship of various denominations as follows:
Roman Catholic
Interdenominational
Lutheran
...
Chinese Anglican
Baptist
Methodist
Church of Christ in China ..
Church of England
Independent Chinese Baptist
Salvation Army
Other Protestant
Total
...
:
J
...
1,874
90
69
60
...
•
58
48
·
38
36
13
11
40
2,337
The total of 2,337 is 151 less than the previous year's total of 2,488.
163. Table XXX gives statistics for the past ten years of numbers of marriages registered, civil and religious ceremonies (with percentages of each), marriages between parties of Chinese race, marriages between persons already married (see paragraph 166), and 'new' marriages, and of the amounts of fees collected. The number of marriages registered annually has risen every year since 1950-51 except in 1962-63, 1964-65, 1967-68 and 1972-73, each of which was a 'blind year' and therefore unpopular for marriages between Chinese; and in 1969-70 and 1970-71 which respectively followed and preceded particularly auspicious years for marriages. While the total number of marriages registered annually has risen from 12,700 to 26,443 over the last decade, the percentages of civil and of religious ceremonies to the total number of marriages registered have remained relatively steady, beginning at 88.68% and 11.32% respectively in 1963-64 and ending in 1972-73 at 91.15% and 8.85%.
164. Table XXXI shows the ages or age groups of the husbands and wives married during the year as stated in the marriage certificates. This shows that 729 of the husbands and 4,829 of the wives were under 21 at the time of their marriage, and therefore required the consent of their parents or guardians or (in 170 cases) of the Registrar or the Director of Social Welfare as laid down in sections 14 and 15 of the Ordinance. The distribution of husbands and wives as between the various age groups followed more or less the same pattern as in previous years with the 20-24 age group most popular
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