Iran has celebrated the wedding of Imam Ali for over a millennium in a national holiday colloquially known as Marriage Day. But this year, in light of the divorce rates that are gaining notoriety in leaps and bounds, Iranian authorities have renamed the holiday "No Divorce Day."
On No Divorce Day, the Iranian justice minister will not process divorce permits to legally break wedlock.
In 2010, more than 150,000 Iranian marriages ended in divorce; with their population, that is one out of every 3.76 marriages. And in a theocratic country that is still clearly given to patriarchy, that is a startlingly high number.
On one side, it is wonderful that women are taking advantage of their legal right to divorce in order to get out of unwanted marriages in a country where arranged marriages are still a factor.
But Iran's divorce numbers shrivel before the rates in the United States, which have continually flirted with a solid 50 percent divorce rate for first marriages.
In that sense, it is a poignant reality to recognize that the institution of marriage is clearly on its way out in the world, even in theocracies where traditional religious values preserve its former sanctity.
There are many Americans that will still stick to their decision to marry; still, many would rather kill their spouse than get a divorce. Sometimes, people fall back in love or work through their problems.
But too many people who are bound to each other would be better off apart, even if it means splitting custody of marital children. We respect the right to divorce and encourage the attitude toward choice.
But No Divorce Day seems to be less about preventing divorce as much as it is about preserving marriage as a benevolent union between two people who promise to love each other for the rest of their lives. Having one day a year when everyone recognizes that union is a good thing.
And it does not seem to violate any right to divorce; similarly, in the United States, one may not be able to file for divorce on a national holiday, as the civil office employees have the day off.
The Spectrum's editorial board likes happy endings just as much as the next publication's does; it is a symptom of objective journalism, as tragedies of varying size and shape make our front pages.
Some want for the days when tradition made marriage look great, or at least made it possible for men and women to coexist happily for appearance's sake.
And despite the American sitcom humor that playfully stigmatizes marriage, as if it sucks heavily from one's life like a leech, many people do live long and happy lives together.
But we salute the option of divorce for anyone who wishes to end a bad marriage. Tears for the death of romance should not keep someone from freeing themselves from a dysfunctional relationship.
