Feature: 12 Syrian couples enjoy charity mass wedding amid prolonged crisis

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Feature: 12 Syrian couples enjoy charity mass wedding amid prolonged crisis

(Xinhua) 10:16, September 28, 2013

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A mass wedding ceremony was held in Damascus on Friday, which is particularly joyful in a time when the marriage rate has drastically plunged due to prolonged Syrian crisis.

In the Syrian capital, 12 couples got married, as part of a charity project funded by al-Wafaa charitable organization and the Ministry of Tourism.

The event came as the divorce rate in Syria has climbed 45 percent and the marriage rate dropped over 40 percent since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis almost two and half years ago, according to a recent survey by local media.

In the constant conflicts between government forces and opposition militants, the number of divorce cases in Syria is set to outnumber that of married ones, the survey indicated.

"This mass wedding is a result of concerted efforts, aiming to help young men who are incapable of affording the high cost of wedding ceremonies," Mohammad Nour Addien, one of the grooms, told Xinhua.

Starting with the recitation of the Muslim Holy Quran, the wedding was conducted in a traditional way. After hearing ceremonial speech by the grand mufti and other high-profile participants, grooms began to dance to traditional music.

Survey figures also signify a watershed for major changes in the social lives of Syrians, who live in a country plagued by violence and burdened with spiralling inflation and unemployment.

Bashar Nouri, head of al-Wafa organization, said that his organization wants to help young people fight the negative repercussions of the long-standing crisis.

"Our people are not poor, but the change in living conditions due to the crisis in the country has had negative repercussions on people's lives. So we start to look for means to help people," Nouri said.

"We would like to tell the world that Syria is a country of love and social solidarity," he added.

The Ministry of Tourism has funded the wedding ceremony and reservations for the new couples in Dama Rose Hotel, while the al- Wafaa organization contributed a certain amount of cash to each couple.

Syria's grand mufti Ahmed Badredine Hassoun and Minister of Tourism Bishir Yazagi attended the wedding.

Mohammad Muzaireeb, a groom, said the mass wedding idea "has given a new hope for the young men."

"May security return to Syria," Muzaireeb prayed.