KABUL (SW) – A mass wedding ceremony for 72 young couples has been held on Tuesday, by the “Panah-e Etrat” charity organization in western Kabul.
The organizers stated that the event aimed to eliminate undesirable customs, promote culture, and encourage mass weddings in Afghanistan.
Reza Mozafari, one of the organizers, mentioned that the event cost one million Afghanis. “We organized this healthy cultural event because excessive expenses have become burdensome for our people. We also want to help those who, for various reasons, couldn’t hold their wedding ceremonies,” he said.
Several couples who participated in the group wedding expressed their inability to afford individual ceremonies due to economic hardships.
Ghulam Sakhi, a newlywed, shared that he got engaged eight years ago but could not afford a wedding ceremony until now. “I wanted to hold my wedding, but the conditions weren’t good, and our financial situation was weak. We ask families to refrain from demanding dowries,” he said.
Zainab, a new bride, urged young people and their families to avoid extravagant customs in weddings. “Our request is for families to celebrate their children’s weddings simply and avoid excessive spending. Group weddings are beneficial for us in every way,” she stated.
Simultaneously, 35 young couples in Ghazni also celebrated their group wedding ceremony.
Sayed Gul Ahmad Motamedi, the organizer of the Ghazni event, said that the costs were covered by charitable individuals.
Newlyweds in Ghazni welcomed the group wedding concept and called for more such ceremonies to eliminate undesirable customs in weddings.
In recent years, due to rising unemployment and high wedding costs, many young people have opted for group weddings. The first mass wedding was held in 2008 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh’s capital, and has since spread to many other provinces.
