Imagine being invited to a wedding ceremony and you couldn’t locate the couple who invited you because there were three hundred and ninety-nine others.
On October 14, 2001, panapress reported; “A mass wedding of 160 couples took place at the weekend on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
Organisers, “Dagim Cergachin” said the couples had asked for the joint ceremony to reduce cost.
Samrawit Girma, head of Dagim Cergachin, said the organising committee raised enough funds from sponsors to cover all expenses, including cost of rings.
Azeb Teka, one of the brides, said all 160 couples got wedding dresses, shoes, rings and other accessories from the organisers.
HIV-positive couple, Mekonen Alemu and bribe Yirgu Atanegus said “the best way not to spread it (HIV) is to get married to each other.
“The wedding was attended by family members and well-wishers, including three MPs.
It was the second mass wedding in Ethiopia, after that of 1998, that involved 132 couples.”
Today in the Ethiopian capital, a mass wedding involving 400 couples is taking place.
The mass wedding was organized by Eminence Social Entrepreneurs which has a committee comprising members drawn from various governmental and non-governmental institutions.
The mass wedding is expected to promote the country’s unique socio-cultural assets as the couples would come from different parts of the country.
Eminence Social Entrepreneurs Director Solomon Gebre-Mariam told a press conference at Jupiter Hotel on September 19 that the organization has been actively involved in building the positive image of the country through promoting socio-cultural possessions of citizens and addressing social problems.
According to him, the wedding project would play its due role in strengthening and fostering national tolerance among nations and nationalities.
Besides creating opportunities for the couples to show their nation’s dressing style, the wedding ceremony and other assets, the project could also be instrumental in minimizing cost of ceremonies and enhancing the existing socio-cultural interaction among nations and nationalities, he added.
Tourism State Minister Advisor Sisay Getachew also said the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is closely working with other organizations to realize the union of 1,000 couples colourfully.
Noting the social, cultural and political contribution of the mass wedding, he said that efforts are being made for the success of the wedding ceremony in conjunction with the125th anniversary of Addis Ababa city.
