New Zealand Now Legally Recognizes Weddings Performed In The Church Of The Flying Spaghetti Monster

The island nation has legalized nuptials performed in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster — a secular religion that views the existence of a Flying Spaghetti Monster to be just as probable as the existence of the Christian God.

The Pastafarian movement, as it has come to be known, has seen a fair amount of growth in membership since its inception in 2005, and in November, a Massachusetts Pastafarian won the right to wear a colander on her head in her license photo as part of the state's religious exemption rules for headwear.

"If people are given the right to wear religious garments in government ID photos, then this must extend to people who follow the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster," David Niose, legal director of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said at the time.

New Zealand, however, is believed to be the first government to legally recognize marriages performed in the church. The head of the New Zealand church, Karen Martyn, will perform weddings as an ordained "Ministeroni."

"I've got the formal Pastafarian Ministeroni outfit and I've got the more pirate-y one," Martyn told ABC Australia.