Did you know World Marriage Day is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of February each year? Know how this day was established and other interesting details about it.
They say, ‘marriages are made in heaven’, but is requires plenty of hard work by married mortals to make it a success on Earth. It requires commitment, communication, mutual respect and trust and of course, a shared goal to sustain and grow.
Times have changed hugely, and so have societal ideas and expectations but marriage is still considered an important institution that brings stability, emotional support, and companionship in one’s life. It also gives one an opportunity to extend one’s family through matrimony between two different families and build one’s own in due course of time.
World Marriage Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of February every year across the world to highlight the importance of a marital union and the beauty of being a lawfully wedded couple.
The day was established by Worldwide Marriage Encounter and honours the beauty of faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life of couples.
World Marriage Day 2024 Date and Symbol
The day is celebrated annually on second Sunday of February. This year, it is being celebrated on February 11. The symbol of World Marriage Day (WMD) has two people as candle-like figures depicting the love of a marriage while the candle is supposed to depict light or illumination.
History of World Marriage Day
The history of World Marriage Day goes back to 1981. In Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, married couples requested the mayor, the governor, and the bishop to proclaim St. Valentines Day as ‘We Believe in Marriage Day’.
The idea was hugely successful and in the following year, 43 governors formally recognised the day and adopted it as World Marriage Day, declaring it to be observed every year on the second Sunday of February from 1983 onwards.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II bestowed his Apostolic Blessings on World Marriage Day (WMD), and now the celebrations of this special day have expanded around the world and increasingly gaining recognition and acceptance.
Significance of World Marriage Day
In this day and age, we find marriages are crumbling down owing to communication issues, increased stress and impatience and different priorities of couples. Psychologists have traced heightened individualism and fast-changing gender roles that are contributing to hindering success in a marriage. These are complex issues that need to be addressed with proper communication, empathy, mutual efforts, and expert help, if required. But, today, we should acknowledge the institution of marriage more than ever and hence, the significance of World Marriage Day.
Bengali