In Chile, marriage remains a ceremony for the young. There is a
great deal of pressure on women to marry before thirty and most
women tie the knot in their early twenties. Though there exists
a growing population of liberals, and unmarried couples have been
known to cohabitate, Chileans are deeply rooted in the traditions
of the Catholic Church and living together before marriage is thought
to be living in sin. For this reason and a myriad of others, the
majority of Chileans live at home with their families until they
marry. It is quite common for a household to include several grown
children still living at home.
Chilean culture supports this idea and families, spending years
together as a adults, get to know one another quite well. They eat
together, celebrate together and generally spend time as a family
on the weekends. On Saturday and Sunday you are hard pressed to
find an open store because the weekends are reserved for things
other than working. The city parks are full of picnics, the sidewalks
overflow with strollers and walkers alike, generations loiter together
and talk about the weather, their children and recent goings-on.
Birthdays are made to include everyone, so the invited guests can
expect to celebrate in the company of the family; aunts, uncles,
cousins and grandparents. There is great importance placed on the
union between two people and they are encouraged to procreate extending
the family even further. So, for most young fiancées, getting married
is the beginning of a life outside of Mom and Dad’s house complete
with independence and responsibility. It is also the beginning of
a family of their own. And in Chile, it remains the beginning of
forever. It is important to note that forever does mean “until death
do us part.” In most countries around the world, it means “until
the courts legally dissolve our promise,” as divorce laws have been
put into place to legally untie the knot in the wake of admitted
miscalculations and heartache. However, in Chile divorce has been
and is still illegal. The illegality of divorce has resulted in
very high numbers of annulments because Chileans inside of failed
marriages have not been left any other option.
Just this year, 2004, a divorce law bill was voted on and passed
through by the voting public and it is now being processed by the
Chilean government. As with all new legislation, there are the supporters
and then there are those who are vehemently against the idea. There
have been conversations printed in the newspapers likening this
legislation to the beginning of the end of family values. Some believe
that given the easy out, many will cease to work on the marriage
with the degree of resolve that was present in earlier times. Others
have breathed a sigh of relief welcoming the new legislation and
explaining that failed marriages are a reality and society should
not choose to ignore its reality. In either case, we welcome Chileans
to the era of the slip knot. Tie it and untie it as you see fit.
