In the old days, economics, politics or culture meant your future spouse would come from your social group and be either a neighbour or a distant relative. Love rarely came into the equation, unlike today. At least that’s what most people say…
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But is marriage really just a romantic connection between two free souls? Or are more practical reasons at play? Is love nothing but a second-hand emotion after all? Why did you get married?
The law states that the couple must be over 18 years of age, not married and persons subject to guardianship orders must obtain the consent of their legal representative.
The civil wedding is a public ceremony held at the register office in the presence of two adult witnesses. The spouses and witnesses sign the marriage register. An official family record book and marriage certificate is then handed out. A subsequent religious wedding can be carried out if the couple wish.
Wedding receptions often involve around 60 close family and friends. Around 120 people from the couple’s wider circle of acquaintances may attend a separate drinks party beforehand.
There are normally no bridesmaids or best man at Swiss weddings. As in other cultures, the fiancé is not supposed to see his intended’s dress before the ceremony.
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Forced marriage “needs to be depoliticised”
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Marriage “is not, has never been and cannot be a private matter”, wrote the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss. For centuries, endogamy – the practice of marrying within a specific ethnic group, class or social group – was the dominant practice in almost all communities. In Europe until a few decades ago, young people could be forced…
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Julia was in love with a boy. She met him on the Internet. She knew that her parents would not approve, and so she fearfully covered things up. He lived in a village in the Balkans, a few kilometres from her birthplace. She started meeting him in secret, as soon as the opportunity arose. Julia…
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The Senate followed the House of Representatives tightening the law, notably banning marriages to minors. The minimum age for marriage in Switzerland is 18. Senator Christine Egerszegi, spokeswoman for the committee on political institutions, said there was broad agreement in parliament that measures to combat such marriages were urgent. “It is a crime and always…
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The law, which came into effect on January 1, also requires registrars to inform migration authorities when a marriage applicant does not have a valid visa. Initiated by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, the law was designed to restrict the possibility of marriages of “convenience” – people marrying to shore up their visa circumstances and…
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The Swiss People’s Party amendment to the Foreign Nationals Law would end the right to marry for asylum seekers and illegal residents in Switzerland. It aims to curb the number of marriages of convenience used by people trying to get around the law to stay in the country. Having gained the approval of the House…
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Couples are enjoying smaller, more select weddings, while new regulations allow for tying the knot in more exotic locations, including in a tropical climate at the zoo. Provisional figures from the Federal Statistics Office suggest that there were 40,000 weddings in Switzerland in 2008, around the same as in 2007. Marriages usually happen in two…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Tying the knot on high
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Getting married on an alpine peak had long been a dream of Mitsuhiro Miura and Mari Miura from Tokyo. They tied the knot at the St Petronella “chapel” on the First peak near Grindelwald, at 2,168 metres above sea level. (Pictures and text: Christoph Balsiger, swissinfo)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.