Afghan couples attend a collective wedding party in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of the northern Balkh province, Afghanistan, on Aug. 6, 2020. At a rare social event 82 couples held a collective wedding party in a local hotel in Mazar-i-Sharif city on Thursday, organizer and supporter Zahra Amiri said. The aim of collective marriage, according to Amiri, is to avoid splendid wedding parties to save money for married families to run their daily life after marriage. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At a rare social event 82 couples held a collective wedding party in a local hotel in Mazar-i-Sharif city, the capital of northern Balkh province on Thursday, organizer and supporter Zahra Amiri said.
The aim of collective marriage, according to Amiri, is to avoid splendid wedding parties to save money for married families to run their daily life after marriage.
In the war-battered and economically impoverished Afghanistan, the grooms usually arrange wedding party in luxury hotels, inviting hundreds and even more than 1,000 guests that costs sometimes over 20,000 U.S. dollars.
"The total cost of the marriage of 82 couples was counted 3.1 million afghanis (some 39,000 U.S. dollars)," she said, adding the organizer agency also bought goods worth 38,000 afghanis as dowry for each couple.
Amiri, who used to help poor grooms and brides in the northern Balkh province to get married, said she is hopeful to promote the culture of collective marriage and saving money for the families. Enditem
