Sweden, the father must not accompany the bride to the altar. It is controversial –

“It’s not our tradition.” This is what two pastors of the Lutheran Church in Sweden claim. The issue arises from a trend, for them recent, that is, that the father of the bride should accompany the future wife to the altar. Sara Waldenfors, pastor of Nylöse, Gothenburg, and a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party of the country, together with Jesper Eneroth, has put forward the proposal for a ban. The reason? “It’s a patriarchal choice.” But let’s go in order. “The relatively new trend in which the father accompanies the bride to the altar and hands her over to her new husband is not part of the tradition of our church,” the pastors told the British newspaper Observer. “Although the scene is pleasant for future married couples, we cannot ignore what it symbolizes: a father handing over an underage virgin to her new guardian.”

In the traditional wedding ceremony in Sweden, the bride and groom walk down the aisle together. There is no handover, although increasingly, women ask to be accompanied by their fathers and permission is granted by individual priests. Pastor Waldenfors, a member of the opposition Social Democrats, added that she was pleased that the motion had sparked the kind of discussion they were looking for, but believes the issue needs to be addressed systematically: “It has been a struggle for same-sex couples to get married in the Swedish church. Why then should we change a tradition in the church that is not ours and is not something we can abide by?”

Henrik Lööv, an executive commissioner for the parish of Jönköping, said it was about allowing the family to be included in the ceremony rather than a “legal, patriarchal handover.” And like many others, he disagreed with the two Protestants’ decision to table a motion. “In this way, the bride or groom chooses to emphasize the importance of a relative in their life, a choice that means a lot to everyone involved,” Lööv said. “The handover of the bride has become increasingly popular in the last 10 to 15 years. It is probably due to the inspiration from Hollywood, but also to Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding, where the king walked with her a little on the way to the altar.” In Sweden, only 10 percent of those who get married walk down the aisle with their mother or father. The issue was causing debate, he said, because it touched on two important Swedish values: gender equality and individual freedom of choice. The country, in fact, is among those with the highest rates of equal parental leave and gender equality in most areas. The debate occurs despite the declining number of marriages in Sweden. Last year, 44,190 couples got married. In 2012, the figure was 56,240.