All Expenses Paid Wedding to Keep Syriacs in Aleppo

The diocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the city of Aleppo, Syria, announced a special initiative that went viral on social media and was addressed to the Syriac youth of the city. The initiative appealed to them to marry in 2020.

And it is free of charge… because the Syriac Orthodox Church will cover the expenses of the wedding. There is a but… the married couples must stay in Syria and are not allowed to emigrate.

To encourage marriage and the establishment of a sacred family, the newlyweds will get many privileges. If they get married in 2020 and perform the wedding ceremony in Aleppo then no church wages have to be paid, usage of any of the church halls for the wedding party is free of charge, there is a financial gift and one-year rental coverage for those who do not own a house in Aleppo.

Furthermore, if the happy couples get children then there is full coverage for milk and diapers for the child’s first year. And the child will receive free registration in one of the Syriac schools of Bani Taghlab for the full term of primary school.

It is noteworthy that the Syriac Orthodox Church wants to prevent emigration of the Christian Syriacs. Syriac priest Viktor Wazir told al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that there are only 1.800 Syriac families left in the city of Aleppo as the war in Syria has taken its toll.