Pastafarians Can Now Perform Weddings in New Zealand

New Zealand residents will soon be able to doff their colanders to happy couples, as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster was approved to perform marriages in New Zealand, Stuff reports. According to the New Zealand Gazette, the application from the religion—also known as Pastafarianism—was approved last Thursday under the Marriage Act of 1955. Stuff reports the government's registrar-general was satisfied "that the principal object of the organization was to uphold or promote religious beliefs, philosophical or humanitarian convictions." He points out the government can't make a value judgement on an organization's beliefs, only that they uphold and promote them.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster holds that the existence of God is just as likely as the existence of some sort of pasta creature. Pastafarians have been making the news in recent years for wearing traditional colanders on their heads during driver's license photos. Other non-mainstream religions approved to perform marriages in New Zealand include yoga, Wicca, and Scientology, Stuff reports. (More the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster stories.)