Weddings in Indian-administered Kashmir have become very expensive,
在印控克什米尔地区，婚礼费用非常昂贵，
and a common problem for many Kashmiri families is simply not being able to pay for it.
对于许多克什米尔家庭来说，一个普遍问题就是无法支付高昂费用。
In a region where marriages are commonly arranged by parents,
在这片地区，婚姻通常由父母包办，
it is becoming more and more difficult for them to afford suitable life partners for their sons and daughters.
对父母而言，为子女承担人生伴侣的费用变得愈发困难。
Now a local non-governmental organization called Jaffri Council has found a way to lower the cost,
如今，当地一个非政府组织“杰弗里委员会”想到了一种降低成本的方法，
by organizing a massive wedding for many couples at the same time.
即在同一时间为许多夫妇举办大型婚礼。
We noticed that folks had unmarried sons and daughters over 30.
我们注意到人们有年逾三十的未婚儿女。
We thought we should work on this.
我们觉得应该努力解决这个问题。
In a single event, 105 Kashmiri couples tied the knot.
在一次集体婚礼上，有105对克什米尔夫妇喜结连理。
And much like traditional weddings, couples, guests were present and attendees enjoyed music as well as Kashmiri cuisine.
和传统婚礼一样，新婚夫妇和宾客都会出席，与会者们欣赏音乐和克什米尔菜肴。
Syed Tanvir Hussein thought it was the best way to start married life.
赛义德·坦维尔·侯赛因认为这是婚姻生活开始的最好方式。
The marriage ceremony went really well.
婚礼进行得很顺利。

I think that everyone should get married the way we got married.
我认为每个人都应该以我们结婚的方式结婚。
In Kashmiri culture, a bride is expected to come with a dowry, usually in the form of money or jewelry.
在克什米尔文化中，新娘通常会带来钱财或者珠宝之类的嫁妆。
Newly married Fatima says this event is not only helping couples forego the financial burden,
新婚妻子法蒂玛说，这一活动不仅有助于夫妇们摆脱经济负担，
it can also play a role in ending an ancient tradition.
还可以在终结古老传统方面发挥作用。
What the NGO is doing is really good, at least for the poor people, it is really good.
非政府组织正在做的是非常好的，至少对穷人来说是非常好的。
The dowry system must end.
嫁妆制度必须结束。
So many educated girls are still unmarried in that home only because they can't afford dowry.
许多受过良好教育的女孩仍然未婚，只是因为她们买不起嫁妆。
The average cost of a wedding in the region can run between thirty to forty thousand dollars.
该地区的婚礼平均花费在3万到4万美元之间。
But the Jaffri Council asks each family to pay just seven hundred dollars to participate in the joint ceremony.
但“杰弗里委员会”只要求每个家庭支付700美元参加集体婚礼。
Couples tying the knot here say that they can enjoy the marriage more
在这里喜结良缘的夫妇说，他们可以享受婚礼，
by not having the stress of starting their life together with the large debt.
新生活无需承受巨额债务。
For Yusuf Jameel in Srinagar, this is Bezhan Hamdard, VOA News.
尤塞夫·贾米尔在斯利那加报道，我是本渣·哈姆达德，VOA新闻。