Khost province has a new solution for costly Afghan weddings

The tribal elders and religious scholars in Khost province have found a new solution for the costly weddings in Afghanistan.

An agreement was reached upon by 400 tribal elders and religious scholars that sets a ceiling of USD 5,000 for the wedding costs which includes 64 grams of gold jewelry for the bride.

According to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), anyone who breaches the agreement will be ostracized and will have to pay a fine of USD 2,000 to the tribe.

The source further adds that religious scholars would not officiate weddings, funerals and other ceremonies of offenders of the law.

This comes as thousands of young Afghans have voiced concerns about the growing wedding costs.

“We had to do it, because young girls were left at home and no one courted them. The high bride-prices meant there were no engagement ceremonies and no weddings,” IWPR quotes a tribal leader.

Afghan families complain about the expensive dowries that bride’s family demands. The costs of engagement party and traditional henna party are additional burdens for the groom’s family.

In addition to other fees and expenses of the crippling wedding ceremonies in Afghanistan, the high cost of live bands is another problem that many Afghans are worried about.

According to some residents in Kabul, some band singers charge as much as USD 1,000 (equivalent to 50,000 AFN). And, some singers who have gained popularity through video albums on local TV channels charge USD 4,500 (equivalent to 225,000) for singing at weddings.

High cost of weddings, unacceptable traditional practices and envy (one family demanding to have a more lavish wedding ceremony than the other) are cited as the main reasons why many Afghan boys and girls have remained single.