The form of marriage in Europe: civil ceremony, religious ceremony. Survey and trends.

The author examines trends in the distribution of civil and religious marriage ceremonies in Europe over time. Information is provided on marriages among different religious groups in Central, Southern, and Northern Europe. "In many countries the proportion of religious marriages is declining, in others it shows little change, while in others it is on the increase.... In some countries their decline precedes that in the total number of marriages, in others it follows it, while in others the two movements coincide. Hypotheses have been advanced to explain these different developments, based on the socio-political and institutional contexts. These contexts can now usefully be reviewed, not in order to make forecasts, but to indicate the course of possible future developments." excerpt