KABUL: President Hamid Karzai advised Afghans not to hold extravagant wedding parties saying in his weekly radio address to the nation Friday that they were “against the national tradition.” Since the fall of the Taliban nearly a decade ago, marriage ceremonies in Afghan cities have often gone from being simple family affairs to lavish parties for up to 1,000 people in neon-clad wedding halls. The ability to put on such an ostentatious display of wealth has become a test of honor for the groom, who traditionally foots the entire bill himself and sometimes also has to pay a dowry to his bride's family. But Karzai's government is discussing moves to clamp down on the trend. “As we know, there is not any other place in the world where such big and extravagant wedding parties are held as it is in Afghanistan,” Karzai declared, according to a transcript of his radio address. “It would be better if those families who are prosperous make their wedding ceremonies as simple as possible.
