A crushed wedding ring is displayed after a couple used a hammer to smash the ring to symbolise the end of their eight-year marriage during a "divorce ceremony" in Tokyo June 20, 2010, a day before the couple file for divorce. (Agencies) |
With divorce on the rise in Japan, some couples are choosing to celebrate the end of an unhappy marriage by saying "I do" for a final time at a divorce ceremony before friends and family. Divorce ceremonies were pioneered about a year ago by a former salesman, Hiroki Terai, who set up a "divorce mansion" in a small undercover space in Tokyo. Since then about 25 couples have each paid 55,000 yen ($600) to hold a ceremony with all the pomp and grandeur of a wedding that publicly ends their relationship before they officially file for divorce. Terai said he had received more than 900 inquiries. The latest couple, who called themselves Mr and Mrs Fujii, met near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's traditional Asakusa area on Sunday and rode in separate rickshaws to the divorce mansion. "By putting an end to our marriage, we wanted to give ourselves fresh starts and give our lives a sense of renewal," said Mr Fujii, a 33-year-old businessman. He said he felt responsible for the failure of his marriage as he spent too much time away from home and too much money on his various interests including cars - despite numerous warnings from his wife. Friends and family of the Fujii couple followed closely behind the rickshaws on foot, arriving at the divorce mansion for a ceremony where the Fujiis smashed their wedding ring with a gavel, a gesture signifying the end of their partnership. The gavel has a frog's head as frogs symbolize change in Japanese culture. "When we smashed the ring together, I felt like 'Oh, this is the end of it, really' and my heart and soul felt renewed. Now I feel I can have a new life and start all over again," said Mr Fujii. His wife of eight years also expressed relief. "The moment I saw the smashed ring, I said to myself, 'Yes! That feels so good'," Mrs Fujii said. Terai, who is believed to be Japan's first "divorce ceremony planner," came up with the idea to help couples celebrate their decision to separate after one of his friends went through a bitter divorce. Divorce is on the rise in Japan, where it was once taboo, with about 251,000 divorces taking place in 2008, partly blamed on the poor economy taking its toll on romance. (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
隨著日本離婚率的不斷上升,該國(guó)的一些夫婦選擇舉辦一種離婚典禮來(lái)與不幸的婚姻說(shuō)再見(jiàn),他們?cè)诩胰撕团笥训墓餐?jiàn)證下最后說(shuō)一次“我愿意”,慶祝不幸婚姻的結(jié)束。 離婚典禮服務(wù)大約于一年前在日本興起,當(dāng)時(shí)一個(gè)曾做過(guò)銷售員的名叫寺井廣木的男子在東京一個(gè)隱蔽的小場(chǎng)所創(chuàng)立了一個(gè)“離婚公館”。 此后,寺井共為約25對(duì)夫婦舉辦了隆重程度堪比結(jié)婚典禮的離婚典禮,讓他們?cè)谡缴暾?qǐng)離婚前公開(kāi)結(jié)束婚姻關(guān)系。離婚典禮的收費(fèi)為每對(duì)夫婦5.5萬(wàn)日元(600美元)。據(jù)寺井介紹,至今他已收到900多人的詢問(wèn)。 最近的一次離婚典禮于上周日舉行,當(dāng)天一對(duì)自稱藤井的夫婦在東京老城區(qū)淺草區(qū)的淺草寺附近會(huì)合,之后各乘一輛人力車前往離婚公館。 33歲的藤井先生是一名商人,他說(shuō):“通過(guò)結(jié)束婚姻,我們想給自己一個(gè)新的開(kāi)始,迎接新的生活。” 他說(shuō)自己應(yīng)為婚姻失敗負(fù)責(zé),他不顧妻子的多次警告,經(jīng)常不在家,為了滿足自己買(mǎi)汽車等各種興趣,花錢(qián)大手大腳。 藤井夫婦的家人和朋友緊跟著兩人乘坐的人力車步行前往離婚公館參加典禮。在典禮上,藤井夫婦用一個(gè)木槌將結(jié)婚戒指砸毀,宣告兩人關(guān)系的結(jié)束。 這把木槌上有一個(gè)青蛙頭雕飾,因?yàn)樵谌毡疚幕星嗤芟笳髦淖儭?/p> 藤井先生說(shuō):“當(dāng)我們一起砸扁戒指時(shí),我想‘哦,這下真的結(jié)束了’,那一刻我感覺(jué)自己的心靈和靈魂都獲得了新生。現(xiàn)在我覺(jué)得自己可以開(kāi)始新的生活,一切可以重新開(kāi)始了。” 與他結(jié)婚八年的藤井太太也表達(dá)了同樣的心情。 她說(shuō):“當(dāng)我看到砸扁的戒指時(shí),我對(duì)自己說(shuō),‘好!這感覺(jué)太好了’”。 寺井據(jù)說(shuō)是日本離婚典禮服務(wù)的開(kāi)創(chuàng)者,他從一個(gè)朋友的痛苦離婚經(jīng)歷中得到啟發(fā),萌生為離婚人士提供慶典服務(wù)的創(chuàng)意。 離婚曾是日本社會(huì)的一大禁忌,而如今日本的離婚率卻不斷上升,2008年日本約有25.1萬(wàn)對(duì)夫婦離婚,其中一部分原因是經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣對(duì)婚姻造成了影響。 相關(guān)閱讀 經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)余波未平 澳離婚率或大漲 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 陳丹妮 編輯蔡姍姍) |
Vocabulary: undercover: working or done secretly in order to find out information for the police, a government, etc. 秘密工作的;暗中做的;私下進(jìn)行的 pomp: the impressive clothes, decorations, music, etc. and traditional customs that are part of an official occasion or ceremony 排場(chǎng);氣派;盛況 grandeur: the quality of being great and impressive in appearance 宏偉;壯麗;堂皇 rickshaw: a small light vehicle with two wheels used in some Asian countries to carry passengers. The rickshaw is pulled by somebody walking or riding a bicycle. 人力車;黃包車 gavel: a small hammer used by a person in charge of a meeting or an auction, or by a judge in a court of law, in order to get people's attention (會(huì)議主席、拍賣商或法官用的)小槌 take its toll (on sb./sth.): to have a bad effect on somebody/something; to cause a lot of damage, etc. 產(chǎn)生惡果;造成重大損失 |