Mass celebration eases cost of marriage to the poor

More than 100 Syrian couples tied the knot with a mass wedding in the capital, Damascus, late last week in an effort to ease the financial burden on young people who cannot afford the huge cost of a traditional, individual wedding. “This event is very important,” said Abdel Razeq al-Mounis, deputy minister of Awqaf, or religious endowments. “It makes it easier for young people to get married and shows that the spirit of love and cooperation overcomes egotism. “Marriage protects society,” he added. “It protects young people from becoming lost and corrupt.” The wedding party, held in a public square in the Qaboun district of Damascus on Thursday, was organised and paid for by al-Qaboun charity association, a local NGO. As the 112 grooms wearing traditional Damascene robes over their suits entered the square, they were welcomed by a traditional zeffa (a group of drummers) as guests cheered. According to tradition, the brides did not attend the ceremony. The event started with a recitation of the Quran followed by inshad (hymns) praising the prophet. In Syria, such wedding parties are held only in Damascus at the moment, where they are being financially supported by one particular NGO. But they are also becoming increasingly popular, with couples travelling from rural areas to take part, organisers said. The mass wedding parties have arisen over the last few years in response to the limited income and resources of much of the population. Almost two million people, from a total population of some 18 million, are classified as poor, according to a 7 July government report on poverty in Syria. Poverty had fallen since 1996 in the rural southern and urban coastal regions, but per capita expenditure had fallen in the context of an increase in poverty in rural northeastern regions, the report said. Low educational attainment emerged as a key indicator of poverty, with 57 percent of the unemployed finishing only the lower grades in school. “Rich people [in Syria] like to overspend on wedding parties, and this ceremony has removed any distinction between the poor and the rich,” said Tawfik al-Falah, a 26-year-old baker from Daraa province, south of Damascus. Al-Falah, who earns US $80 a month, said he had feared he would never be able to marry because of the costs involved.

Bridegrooms celebrate their happy day at the mass wedding party.

“According to traditions here,” he said, “the bridegroom pays the total cost of marriage, including the wedding party and a dowry to be spent on clothing for the bride.” A wedding party, al-Falah said, would cost him around $4,000. “This ceremony cost me nothing, in addition to receiving presents in cash and in kind.” Myassar Jabera, head of al-Qaboun charity association, said that this was precisely the reason for the celebrations, which go a long way to relieving the financial burden on the poor. “A dowry in Syria varies depending on the social status of the families and may reach US $40,000,” Jabera said. “With a view to curbing the rise of dowry in the country, we stipulated for accepting a groom in the ceremony that the dowry paid to the bride should not exceed US $5,000.” The cost of weddings can run to anything from $1,000 to US $40,000 for an extravagant celebration for the very wealthy, who go in for ostentatious affairs in luxury hotels with open buffets providing for hundreds of guests. In addition to taking part in the Qaboun wedding ceremony at no cost, every groom received contributions in cash and kind worth about $800 from a combination of charities and government bodies. The event featured bridegrooms from nine of Syria’s 14 provinces, including Aleppo, Daraa, Deir al-Zor, Hasska, Qameshli, Suweida, Idleb, Palmyra and Hama. The organisers, al-Qaboun, tried to incorporate traditions from each region. “We must bear in mind that there are different traditions and customs in Syria, where different types of marriages are observed,” Jabera said. Jan Abdullah al-Nashawati from Damascus, a 34-year-old insurance broker said that taking in the ceremony was an exciting experience and gave him a better appreciation of the other provinces in the country. “It was a unique way to meet other people from different areas and get to know their traditions,” he said. At the end of the ceremony, the newly-weds cheered and danced, while all those who attended went home with small packs of traditional white mulabbas (almonds covered with sugar) in honour of the occasion.