The marriage of a man who is said to be at least 100 years old and a young woman believed to be in her 20s in South Sulawesi has become a widely discussed union in Indonesia, after photos and videos taken at their wedding went viral yesterday.
The intergenerational couple tied the knot in Wajo regency yesterday afternoon, as confirmed by Ayu Anggreni Muchtar, a relative of the groom.
“Yes, the wedding was held this afternoon at the bride’s home on Galico street,” Ayu told Kumparan yesterday.
Ayu said the groom is named Katte and the bride’s name is Indo Alang.
“I’m not really sure about their exact ages but Katte is definitely more than 100 years old, he was a fighter during the Dutch colonial era. Whereas the wife is still in her 20s,” Ayu continued.
Ayu said that Katte is related to her because of his familial relation with one of her in-laws and explained that he spent IDR5 million (US$357) for her uang panai (mahr or dowry in Bugis-Makassar culture).
Marriages between couples with this huge an age gap are relatively rare in Indonesia, but they often involve older men marrying much younger women. That said, one of the most famous intergenerational marriages in the country in recent years was between a 16-year-old boy and a 71-year-old woman.
The legal minimum age for marriage for women is 16, but a loophole in Indonesia’s marriage law has enabled men to marry girls much younger than that.
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