Fifty couples married Monday in a joint ceremony in the Afghan capital – a growing practice to reduce the astronomical cost of traditional weddings in the impoverished country. The couples were joined in matrimony in one of the dozens of glitzy wedding halls that punctuate Kabul, but the ceremony itself was somewhat austere. “A traditional wedding would have cost us at least 200,000 to 250,000 Afghanis ($2,800 to $3,600), but this time it will be between 10,000 and 15,000 Afghanis,” he said. – A thousand guests –Hundreds of male guests wrapped in traditional patu shawls attended the ceremony in a large, chilly hall, festooned with garlands. Larger, more pricey weddings in Afghanistan can bring together more than 1,000 guests and cost over $20,000.

Source: Punch December 25, 2023 19:17 UTC