From South Korea to South America, the bride wore white for the Unification Church’s largest mass wedding in a decade, with some 40,000 people participating in dozens of cities around the world.
The “blessing ceremony” was the Church’s largest since 1999 and may well be the last on such a grand scale officiated by the 89-year-old Reverend Moon Sun-myung, the controversial founder of the Unification Church.
More than 20,000 people gathered at Moon’s Sun Moon University campus in Asan, south of Seoul, for the main event yesterday morning while some 20,000 more joined simultaneous ceremonies Tuesday night in the US, Brazil, Venezuela and elsewhere.
Some were new couples who met for the first time in recent months in unions arranged by the Church; others were married couples renewing their vows. The brides wore veils and wedding dresses, or their national dress; the men wore black suits with red ties, with white scarves wrapped around their necks.
The mass wedding comes as Moon moves to hand day-to-day leadership over to his children, though the Reverend Moon Hyung-jin, the 30-year-old tapped to take over religious affairs, insists his father remains in charge of the Church and in good health.
The massive global ceremony is meant to mark two key anniversaries in the leader’s life: his 90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his marriage to Han Hak-ja, church officials said.
Row after row of brides in veils and grooms in white gloves — hailing from South Korea, the US, Japan, Europe and elsewhere — posed for photos, sang and practiced shouting “Hurrah!” at a pre-ceremony wedding rehearsal.
“I’m a little bit nervous,” Rie Furuta said.
She had her groom, Tadakuni Sano, both 25-year-olds from Japan, have met only three times since their marriage was arranged in March.
During the ceremony, Moon sprinkled holy water toward the crowd before the couples exchanged rings. After blessing the newlyweds, he led them in a loud cheer amid a shower of white confetti.
“I pray that you become good husbands and wives, and men and women who can represent the world’s 6 billion humankind,” he told them as he clasped his wife’s hands, sobbing at times. Many in the crowd shed tears as well.
In the past, the Moons wore elaborate, high priest-style white gowns and headpieces for the blessing ceremonies.
Yesterday, Moon was dressed in a simple black suit, a rose pinned to his lapel; his wife wore a white blouse and skirt. Their austerity reflected the church’s toned-down stance in recent years as it seeks to dodge the controversy that dogged it in past decades.
“I think my wife is the most beautiful bride here,” said Lee Dong-seok, a 32-year-old computer programmer from South Korea who tied the knot with Japanese office worker Fumi Oshima.
His 28-year-old bride replied: “I’m so happy. I like my husband because he’s very trustworthy.”
Critics who accuse the Church of engaging in cult-like practices say the mass weddings prove it brainwashes its followers. In the past, Moon routinely paired off couples, many of whom met for the first time at their wedding.
These days, even arranged couples have the chance to meet at least a few months before the ceremony, Church officials said. But none are expected to skip off to a honeymoon; couples are required to observe a 40-day waiting period before they cohabitate to prepare for the marriage spiritually.
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