YEMEN: Government organised, mass wedding is held in Sanaa for 100 couples who would otherwise have had trouble affording a traditional wedding
- 00:00:57
- ITN Source
YEMEN: Government organised, mass wedding is held in Sanaa for 100 couples who would otherwise have had trouble affording a traditional wedding
A mass ceremony was held in Sanaa on Wednesday (August 22) to allow 100 couples who face financial difficulties to embark on married life. The combined celebration and marriage contract-signing, organised and funded by the municipality of the Tahrir area in Sanaa and the Ministry of Endowments and Guidance, or Waqf, held the wedding under sharia law for the 100 young couples who would otherwise have had trouble affording a traditional wedding, organisers and newly-weds said. "The mass wedding is very helpful because it helps us cover a big amount of the costs involved in weddings. It also takes place with other (grooms) making it a joy (celebration) for everyone," said Ali al-Hazoura, one of the grooms. The men and women celebrated their big day in separate halls, in accordance with local and religious customs. The grooms queued in line to receive their financial and other gifts from the minister of endowments and guidance. In Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, marriage can be a daunting financial burden. Young couples often put off getting married for years due to their inability to afford a home and furnishings. According to the the Waqf minister, each groom received 70,000 Yemeni Riyals (350 U.S. dollars), in addition to a number of other gifts in order to help them start married life on a more secure financial footing. ''We (the ministry of endowments and guidance) announce the establishment of a committee to facilitate holding weddings and help those who want to get married, whether it is one couple or a mass wedding, in order to fulfill the needs of those involved, in accordance with the (regulations) of the ministry," said Yemeni Minister of Endowments and Guidance (Waqf), Hamoud Al-Hattar. Mass weddings are common in the Middle East. In Yemen, they are held frequently and are mostly funded by charities and philanthropists who want to assist young couples. According to the organiser of Wednesday's wedding, couples are usually screened before being selected to take part in the event. "There is a very precise check-list for those who wish to participate in the mass wedding. There are conditions. For example, he (the groom) cannot be previously married, he must be in need of financial help, and he must believe in communal social work, because the most important thing about this wedding, in my opinion, or weddings in general, is that it strengthens the connections between young people," said Abdul Hamid al-Hadi, head of the organising committee for the mass wedding. He said more mass weddings are expected to take place in Yemen this summer, with more attention being paid to remote areas.
ITN Source | August 24, 2007
