‘Weddings Ban Is Lifted, But You May Not Kiss The Bride’

The ban on wedding receptions has been lifted but you may not be allowed to kiss at wedding venues, so says a new law aimed at sustaining the rule on social distancing in Sri Lanka

The government lifted the ban Friday.

The ban will come as a huge reprieve on couples seeking to tie the nuptial knots but it comes with a lot of conditionality

The country’s well-heeled usually hold wedding celebrations with thousands of guests, and the festivities can last for days with much eating, drinking, dancing and singing.

But under the new guidelines there should be no more than 100 guests, all of whom must stay a metre (three feet) apart and wear masks — including the happy couple.

“Guests should not be allowed to kiss, hug or shake hands,” said the latest health ministry rules seen by AFP. “Greeting each other should be done without any touching.”

Sri Lanka imposed a nationwide curfew on March 20 that ruled out gatherings of any sort, but the restrictions have been eased in many districts that are not considered high-risk.

Religious gatherings remain banned while only the bereaved family are allowed at funerals.

The capital Colombo and the neighbouring district of Gampaha, where the main international airport is located, remain under a 24-hour curfew that entered its third month on Wednesday.

However, offices have been allowed to open with reduced staff to carry out essential services. Sri Lanka has reported 1,055 virus infections with nine deaths since the first case was found on January 27.

According to other accounts, marriages in Sri Lanka are traditionally arranged by the families of the couple. “Love marriages” initiated by the couples themselves are, however, increasingly common, according to Countries and their Culture

Regardless of who initiates the marriage, the bride and groom are expected to be of the same socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and, for Buddhists and Hindus, caste status, although the groom is expected to be slightly older, taller, and educationally and professionally more qualified than the bride.

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Additionally, there is a preference among Tamil and Sinhala groups for cross-cousin marriage, which is marriage with the child of one’s father’s sister or one’s mother’s brother.  

Among Muslims, the preferred match is between parallel cousins, the children of two brothers. It is also considered best if the couple are of similar ages.