A Brazilian couple, Manoel Angelim Dino and Maria de Sousa Dino, now 105 and 101 respectively, have been married for an incredible 84 years and 77 days, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest marriage for a living couple.
Times were very different when they tied the knot in 1940 at the chapel of Boa Ventura in Ceara, Brazil.
Born in 1919, Manoel and Maria (1923) first met around 1936 while working in agriculture for their families, according to guinnessworldrecords.com.
Manoel had travelled to the Almeida region in the Boa Viagem district to collect a shipment of rapaduras (a traditional Brazilian candy) where he made her acquaintance, but it wasn’t until some years later that they started a relationship.
In fact, their original meeting did not lead to much at all, and it was only after a chance encounter around 1940 that Manoel decided Maria was the person he wanted to spend his life with.
He apparently fell in love at first sight and was determined not to let the opportunity slip away again, so declared his feelings for Maria and asked her out, to which she said yes.
As per the report, Maria’s mother was initially against the relationship, so Manoel had to earn the trust of her family, and soon began building a home for the future they would share.
After getting the family’s approval, Manoel and Maria tied the knot in 1940. They worked side-by-side cultivating rolled tobacco to sell and support their growing family. It was a struggle, but they were able to raise 13 children, who later blessed them with 55 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and now 12 great-great-grandchildren.
