Kathmandu, Nepal—On August 8, a crowd of 1,500 people packed a marriage hall in Jorpati, a village located on the outskirts of Kathmandu, to attend a marriage rededication and Peace Blessing ceremony co-organized by UPF-Nepal and Family Federation for World Peace and Unification-Nepal.
Upon seeing the crowd, special guest and main speaker, four-time prime minister of Nepal, H.E. Lokendra Bahadur Chand, said, “It feels good to be here,” and then continued, “peace begins in the family. It is here that selfishness is removed from people and we can make a better nation and create world peace.”
Prime minister Chand praised UPF, saying it does not just talk about building better families, but conducts many substantial programs to accomplish this goal and vision.
Representatives of different religious and ethnic groups participated in the ceremony, the twenty-sixth and the largest ever of such an event that has been held in Nepal in the past year-and-a-half. This prototype is expanding rapidly in Asia where marriage and family still have a strong social standing despite having come under attack in several Western societies.
“When the institution of marriage is recognized and honored at all levels of society by everyone—parents, children, religious leaders, educators, politicians and the media—then a marriage-friendly culture can be created,” Dr. Chung Sik Yong, regional president of UPF-Asia, said at the event.
This tradition of interfaith peace blessings was initiated by UPF founders Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
Summer is monsoon season in Nepal, and it rains nearly every day. A day before the event, it poured day and night. Weather forecasts predicted thunderstorms on the day of the event; however, it only rained a little in the early morning with the sun coming out in the afternoon.
Later in the evening another historical event unfolded: lawmakers from four major political parties agreed—after eight years—on boundary lines for six states in Nepal.
Chair of UPF-Nepal, Hon. Ek Nath Dhakal, a member of parliament, was instrumental in rallying lawmakers from minor parties to impel the major political parties to come to an agreement.
“Since 2008, drawing the boundary lines of states has been one of the most contentious issues blocking the writing of a new constitution,” Hon. Dhakal said. “Now our nation can move forward, but we must maintain our intergenerational family structure while developing economically.”