Inside an Extravagant Marriage Proposal Ceremony in Indonesia

For young men on the Indonesian island of Sumba, marriage can come at a high cost. Grooms are expected to offer their brides’ families a dowry—ranging up to $30,000 or hundreds of livestock animals, among the noble classes—in exchange for a woman’s hand. And the proposals themselves are intricate rituals, where the bride and groom’s families negotiate through the night to decide just how much the dowry will be.

VICE Indonesia met up with Piter Praing, a young man in Sumba, as he prepared to propose to his girlfriend. We followed along as he packed his entire family and a herd of livestock into a caravan, drove seven hours to his bride-to-be’s hometown, and spent hours negotiating with her family for permission to marry her.

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Видео Inside an Extravagant Marriage Proposal Ceremony in Indonesia канала VICE Asia