1,600 orphan couples marry in Yemen’s biggest mass wedding

SANAA - Sixteen hundred orphan couples tied the knot Thursday in Yemen’s biggest mass wedding, Xinhua reported.

The grooms and the brides held separate ceremonies. It was organised by the Orphans Charitable Organization (OCO) and sponsored by Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

A Yemeni traditional marriage costs the groom over $5,000. Besides bearing the expenses of the ceremony, he is also required to pay money in dowry to the bride’s father.

OCO chairman Hamid Ziyad said: “About 17 years ago, we celebrated a wedding ceremony for 100 couples, the biggest mass wedding at that time. Today we witness a wedding of 1,600 couples.”

Saddam Yahya, one of the grooms, said: “They (the organizer) provided everything to us, we are orphans, but they let us feel like we have families.”