280
Couples Wed at Collective Matrimony
text
by connie ellig; photos by david hopps
 On
the morning of Valentine’s Day, a record 280 couples ranging from age 16
to age 68 were wed in unison at Ensenada’s Matrimonios
Colectivos. The collective civil marriage ceremony was held
in front of a standing-room-only crowd in the spacious Salón Catedral
of the Riviera Cultural Center. After exchanging vows, the couples raised
a wine toast, ate wedding cake, and won raffle prizes donated by local
merchants and restaurants. They received an impromptu serenade from Ensenada
Mayor César Mancillas, who crooned the ballad, “Somos Novios,” accompanied
by a background trio of local musicians.
More than two dozen members of Club Compañeros de Baja Norte,
A.C. were present for the occasion. For over a decade, this local non-profit
service and social club has donated the wedding cakes and wine for the
collective marriage ceremony that takes place twice a year in Ensenada.
 The
municipal chapter of DIF, which is headed by Beatriz de Mancillas, the
mayor’s wife, organizes the Matrimonios Colectivos. DIF
(Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia) is the national program
of social assistance that focuses on strengthening and developing the family
core in the local community. More couples were married at the February
2005 Matrimonios Colectivos than at any other single mass marriage ceremony
in the 40-year history of Ensenada’s DIF.
Besides the Matrimonios Colectivos, DIF has many other ongoing community
programs and is always in need of medicines, blankets, school supplies,
canned goods, and new or used clothing in good condition. To make a donation
directly to DIF, contact DIF Events Coordinator Rommy Bojorquez at tel.
(646)120-5613. To make a donation to DIF through Club Compañeros
de Baja Norte, A.C., contact DIF Liaison Rosa Gloetzel at tel. (646)172-5035;
e-mail
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