Someone has rightly said that love knows no age barriers. The saying has been true for many couples who didn’t look at age difference when falling in love.
So in spite of an age gap of almost 55 years, 17-year-old Selamat Riayadi married 71-year-old Rohaya because they love each other.
The marriage ceremony took place at the village of Karangendah. Rohaya has been widowed twice and is a pensioner.
Selamat Riayadi, the groom, and Rohaya, the bride. elitereaders.com
According to reports, the wedding was organized at the home of a community leader named Kuswoyo. The marriage was met with too much skepticism initially due to the huge age gap between the bride and the groom, both of whom are Muslims.
Since Rohaya has been widowed twice, seeking the permission of their community leader was an important step for the couple. But both have been criticized for not marrying each other out of love but for having “another agenda”.
The two are equally poor. Selamat paid a dowry of around Rs.1000 to Rohaya’s family.
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The groom and the bride during their wedding. Asia Wire
Reports say that the couple threatened to commit double suicide. The groom’s brother Kuswoyo mentioned that both the bride and the groom did claim to give up their lives if not allowed to marry.
In Indonesia, a man should be at least 19-years-old in order to get married. However, there are exceptions based on the religious norms. The two were bound by “Nikah Siri” marriage, which is not recognized by the state.
Here is the footage of the couple’s union which has gone viral on the net.
