Will Feast Restrictions Work in Kyrgyzstan?
To find out whether plans to legislate against lavish spending on weddings and other celebrations will work, Nurlan Abdaliev visited neighbouring Tajikistan, where similar restrictions are already in place.
Will Feast Restrictions Work in Kyrgyzstan?
To find out whether plans to legislate against lavish spending on weddings and other celebrations will work, Nurlan Abdaliev visited neighbouring Tajikistan, where similar restrictions are already in place.
The reporter spoke to members of the ethnic Kyrgyz community of Murghab and got mixed responses about the effectiveness of outlawing excessive spending on family celebrations and funerals.
Many welcome the Tajik government’s rules which prevent people slaughtering numerous animals to provide a feast for large numbers of guests, conspicuous spending on gifts, and the payment of huge “bride prices” by the groom’s family.
These days, wedding parties are not supposed to last longer than three hours, with a maximum guest list of 200 and both families shouldering an equal share of the costs.
Murghab district government chief Meerembek Toychiev says the ban immediately led to more people getting married, as now their families could bear costs which previously would have left them in debt for years to come.
Members of Beshmurza, a local band which used to play at weddings, complain that the reduction in spending has put them out of business.
Many welcome the Tajik government’s rules which prevent people slaughtering numerous animals to provide a feast for large numbers of guests, conspicuous spending on gifts, and the payment of huge “bride prices” by the groom’s family.
These days, wedding parties are not supposed to last longer than three hours, with a maximum guest list of 200 and both families shouldering an equal share of the costs.
Murghab district government chief Meerembek Toychiev says the ban immediately led to more people getting married, as now their families could bear costs which previously would have left them in debt for years to come.
Members of Beshmurza, a local band which used to play at weddings, complain that the reduction in spending has put them out of business.
