巴西“女兒國”向全球單身男徵婚
It's like the opening gambit of a bad Hollywood romance. A Brazilian town populated only by women has made an appeal for eligible bachelors.
一個居住人口全部爲女性的巴西小鎮在呼喚合適的單身漢們。這看起來有點像一部好萊塢惡俗愛情片的開場劇情。
More than 600 women live in the town of Noiva do Cordeiro, south-east Brazil. And most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years old.
在巴西東南部一個小鎮上，居住着超過600名女性，而她們絕大多數年齡都在20到35歲之間。
Now they have extended an invitation to potential suitors. But don't start packing your bags just yet - any men who go have to understand that this corner of the Brazilian countryside is very much a woman's world.
現在，這個小鎮向全球單身男性發出邀請。但是各位男士請不要着急，不要立刻就整裝出發。因爲你要明白，這個小鎮完全可以說是一個女人的世界。
Some of Noiva de Cordeiro's women are already married and have families, but their husbands - and any sons over 18 - are made to work away from home and only allowed to return at the weekends.
這個鎮上有些女性已經結婚並擁有自己的家庭，但是他們的丈夫和超過18歲的兒子，都必須到離家很遠的地方去工作，只有在週末的時候才能回來與妻子和母親團聚。
It means girl power rules in the rural community, with women in charge of every aspect of life - from farming to town planning and even religion.
這意味着這個鎮子的方方面面完全是女性在掌權：從農耕到城市規劃，甚至還包括宗教信仰。
And residents say their town is that much the better for it.
居住在這裏的女性們都認爲這樣反而更好。
But while none of the residents of Noiva do Cordeiro would have it any other way, it has left them with just one problem.
可是，儘管鎮上的居民都非常願意過這種女性主導的生活，她們還是不得不面對唯一的大問題。
Nelma Fernandes, 23, admits it's impossible for her neighbours - renowned in the region as strikingly beautiful - to find a would-be spouse.
鎮上居民、23歲的奈爾瑪·費爾南德斯坦言，對於她那些因爲太美麗而遭嫉妒的女鄰居來說，想找到一個準新郎幾乎是不可能的事情。
The lack of eligible batchelors has now led the community's many single young ladies for make an appeal for interested men - but only those willing to adapt to living in a women's world.
由於缺乏合適的單身男子，鎮上許多單身年輕女性開始向有意向的男性發出邀請——但條件是他們必須願意適應這個女兒國的生活方式。
In 1940, an evangelical pastor, Anisio Pereira, took one of the women, aged 16, to be his wife and founded a church in the growing community.
20世紀40年代，曾經有一位名叫阿尼西奧·佩雷拉的福音派牧師來到此地，當時這個小鎮正在成長中，他娶了一位16歲的姑娘作爲自己的妻子，併成立了一個教堂。
However, he proceeded to impose strict puritanical rules, banning them from drinking alcohol, listening to music or cutting their hair.
但是，他立刻開始爲鎮上的居民制定嚴格的清教徒式的生活規範，禁止她們飲酒、聽音樂或剪髮。
When Anisio died in 1995, the women decided never again to let a man dictate how they should live. And one of the first things they did was to dismantle the male-biased organised religion he had set up.
當阿尼西奧在1995年去世之後，女鎮民們決定，她們再也不會讓任何男人指揮自己如何生活了。她們首先採取的措施之一就是解散了他所建立的按照男權規範建立的教堂。
