Swedish pastor proposes banning fathers from walking daughters down the aisle at weddings

Recently, according to a report by Swedish news website thelocal on August 31, two pastors of the Swedish Lutheran Church submitted a motion to ban fathers from escorting daughters down the aisle to the altar during wedding ceremonies. This measure has sparked widespread debate in Swedish society.

The pastor who proposed the motion said, "The custom of the father accompanying the bride down the aisle and giving her to the groom does not belong to church tradition, and we cannot ignore its meaning of 'the father giving his daughter to her new guardian'." The Swedish Church belongs to the Lutheran denomination. Traditionally, Swedish brides walk down the aisle with the groom instead of being escorted by the bride's father as in Britain and the United States. However, in recent years, influenced by television, movies and social media, more and more Swedish women have asked their fathers to accompany them down the aisle. In 2010, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria's entrance into the wedding hall accompanied by her father King Carl Gustaf further promoted this trend.

But there are different voices within the Swedish Church. Henrik Löf from the Jönköping diocese believes that having the father accompany the daughter down the aisle is to involve family members and not the so-called "transfer of parental authority." He also added that in fact, not many Swedish women currently choose this ceremony. In the weddings he presides over, only about 10% of brides enter the wedding hall with their mothers or fathers.

This motion has been submitted to the Swedish Minister of Education. The Ministry of Education will review it to determine whether to make adjustments to the current curriculum and assessment system. All sectors of society are closely watching this. Regarding whether fathers should walk daughters down the aisle during wedding ceremonies, opinions vary from all sides and the debate continues.