The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the traditional Chinese Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day. On this day every year, a romantic magpie bridge across the Milky Way bears witness to the mutual love of each other. However, ahead of this year's Qixi Bridge, another love bridge between China and the UK has been quietly established. On July 30, Gretna Green, a famous runaway town that has only existed in British literature such as Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey since the 18th century, signed a wedding cooperation agreement with the China-Britain Wedding Society. Will begin marrying Chinese lovers in centuries-old one-touch weddings.
"love" stands for love in English. These four heart-pounding eternal letters make the town of Gretna Green famous all over the world. It has been described by historians as the most romantic place in the world, the habitat of true love, the pure land of eternal love, which has witnessed 700,000 weddings and recorded countless love stories over the past hundred years with ancient hammer. Spreading the energy of love around the world.
Gretna Green was first known as the blacksmith's shop on the Scottish border. The blacksmith's shop in the centre of this pretty, peaceful Hamlet was built in 1713. From 1754, the marriage laws in England and Wales were changed so that young couples under the age of 21 could not marry without the permission of their families. The English parliament wanted to give more control over marriage to young people, especially those of noble descent. However, this law was not applied in Scotland, where the marriage law leniently stipulated that lovers, whether great or poor, who had legally witnessed the vows and lived for 21 days in the place where the vows were made, were allowed to take effect. So desperate young lovers began to rush to Scotland, to the border of England and Scotland's first stop, Gretna Green, to marry and have a wedding. The good Ironsmith Village had to witness the wedding in the way they knew best: with a hammer. After reading the vows, the hammer fell. A ringing hammer is heard to witness the completion of the wedding vows, and the village has been given another new term - runaway wedding town. The world's oldest surviving marriage certificate was made under the hammer of a runaway town.
The history of Grenta Green is an epic about love, regardless of wealth, class, ordinary or shocking, regardless of age. For centuries, it has witnessed the romance, persistence and courage given by love. So it became a romantic pilgrimage site in the hearts of British literary masters. The story of Gretna Green has been featured in famous films, books and songs, including Pride and Prejudice, Downton Abbey, The Crown and more.
The Grenta Green territory has been owned by the ancient Houston family since 1885 and has been passed down for four generations. In 2010, the current owner, Alasdair Houston, was awarded the Royal Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his family's contribution to the heritage of British history and culture. And became one of Queen Elizabeth II's royal representatives in Scotland.
Until today, countless couples still come to this most romantic love pilgrimage site to hold their wedding, even many families from their great-grandparents, each generation of children are following their parents' footsteps to hold their wedding here, perhaps it is the inheritance of accumulated blessings of love, Grenta Green wedding of new people, From the vow of marriage struck by the hammer to the old age of children and grandchildren can keep happy and sweet, so the sound of the old Scottish bagpipes, the sweet whisky sharing cup, accompanied by solemn vows, in the clear sound of the hammer, countless love stories told in the letter of thanks sent back to Grenta Green, Countless prayers for finding true love were also included in the votive letters sent to Grenta Green. The escape town faithfully records every story that has unfolded here for centuries. The breath of love in the escape town circulates and inherits, filling every corner and ceaselessly.
Today, Grenta Green and the UKCN Wedding Association join hands to sign an agreement on the Chinese Valentine's Day, writing the most romantic and warm brush stroke in the history of Sino-British historical and cultural exchanges and cooperation. This ancient wedding has been inherited for centuries. The blessing of "LOVE", which has accumulated love and courage from all over the world for hundreds of years, has since joined the love power of Chinese newlyweds. We will witness together the beginning and continuation of this romantic cooperation between China and Britain. Chinese elements will start a new romantic story in the marriage escape town, and the cooperation between China and Britain will open a new chapter.
