A mass wedding isn’t appealing at the best of times but this group of women walked down the aisle to find a tree waiting for them. Source: The Daily Mail
Having donned white wedding dresses, the women tied the knot with the trees as part of a performance in a park in Lima, Peru.
The strange ceremony – entitled ‘marry a tree and save it’ – involved the women carrying white bouquets of flowers and promising to look after the trees until parted by death.
It was organised by Peruvian artist and activist Richard Torres who acted as a priest for the pro-tree weddings.
After completing the ceremony they were allowed to kiss the groom on the trunk, while guests threw tree leaves – in place of confetti – over the ‘happy couples’.
Mr Torres is well-known internationally for his pro-tree performances.
Mr Torres said: “We are giving a message of peace, giving a message to make people aware of the need to take care of trees.”
The brides were local actresses he had persuaded to perform for the occasion.
Patricia Serra, one of the brides, said: “This event is to make people aware of the need to love trees and this is a commitment that is going to be for the rest of your life, it is the same as a common wedding, making a promise.
“Trees do not have a voice but we all are listening to their protests and therefore we are here.”
The aim of the event was to remind Peruvians of the value of trees and the need to look after them.
Mr Torres, the leader of the Corazones Verdes (Green Hearts) movement, says many have been lost to new developments in Lima and he wants to save those that remain.
He also plans to stage similar events in other countries to try to save thousands of threes threatened by the high level of felling in Latin America.
