VOA慢速英语2019 乌兹别克斯坦禁止婚庆典礼上的大幅支出（在线收听）

Uzbek Wedding Singers Protest New Limits

Uzbek singers are expressing their unhappiness over a law limiting the number of performers at marriage ceremonies.

乌兹别克斯坦的一些歌手表达了他们对一项法律的不满，该法限制结婚典礼上的表演人数。

The measure is part of new rules aimed at cutting back big spending at the often huge wedding events.

此举是新规定的部分内容，旨在削减大型结婚典礼中经常出现大额支出的现象。

Uzbekistan’s parliament passed the law in September. It limits the number of musical groups performing at weddings to just two. Other restrictions include limiting the number of guests invited and vehicles used to transport members of the wedding party.

乌兹别克斯坦国会于9月通过了该法。该法将婚礼上表演的乐队数量限制到2个及以下。还有一些限制，比如限制受邀宾客数量和车辆数量，这里的车辆指用来运输婚典参加者的车辆。

Like other Central Asian countries, weddings in Uzbekistan often have hundreds of guests. Several different musicians often perform at celebrations after the marriage ceremony. Such big events can use up a family's savings or even put it deep in debt. The new legislation in Uzbekistan hopes to reduce the financial hardship for families.

与其他中亚国家类似，乌兹别克斯坦的婚典通常有上百名宾客参加。几位不同的音乐家通常会在婚典上表演。这样大型的活动可能会用光一家人的积蓄，甚至让一家人负债累累。

Source of Income for Dozens

Several well-known Uzbek singers took to social media to protest the restrictions. They point out that their work at weddings creates income that supports not only the performer, but other people.

乌兹别克斯坦几位知名歌手通过社交媒体来抗议该法的限制措施。这些歌手指出，他们在婚典上的工作创造了收入，支持的不仅是表演者自己，还有其他人。

On Instagram, singer Munisa Rizaeva explained in a video how several families use the money she earns at weddings.

在社交媒体Ins上，歌手穆妮萨在视频中解释了几户人家是如何使用她在婚典上赚的钱的。

Rizaeva said she charges $800 just to perform four songs at a wedding reception. From that amount she pays a total of $450 to members of her group. They include six musicians, two administrators, two drivers and two bodyguards. All these people have 36 family members between them, her message said.

穆妮萨表示，她收了800美元的费用，在婚典上表演了4首歌曲。她把这笔钱里的450美元给了她的乐队成员。乐队成员包括6名音乐家、2名管理者、2名司机、2名保镖。这些成员有36名家人，她传达了这样的信息。

Rizaeva said that she is left with $350 for her day's work at just one wedding. However, she said, she must share her money with 41 other people who help her write songs, produce videos, and help organize her television and radio appearances.

穆妮萨表示她在一次婚典上的工作只为自己赚了350美元。不过，穆妮萨说她必须要将收入分给另外41人，这些人帮她写了曲子、做了视频，还帮助她组织了电视和广播上的亮相。

"My earnings benefit nearly 150 people per month," Rizaeva told her more than 3.1 million Instagram followers.

我每个月赚钱的同时也惠及了近150人，穆妮萨这样跟她的310多万名Ins粉丝说道。

Another singer, Ozoda Nursaidova, has more than 1 million followers on Instagram. She noted that well-known Uzbek singers provide income for many people.

乌兹别克斯坦的邻国塔吉克斯坦也禁止大型婚礼等私人聚会。违背该禁令的人会受到处罚。

Nursaidova wrote that she charges $1,000 to perform five songs at a wedding. She employs seven musicians, two drivers and an administrator who, in total, have 30 family members.

The singer said she pays the group $400. That leaves her with $600, which she then shares with 18 other people, including songwriters and video producers.

Sharp cuts

The new rules on weddings and private social events limit the number of guests to 250, with up to three cars permitted in the wedding motorcade.

That represents a big change for many Uzbeks. Because this is a country where it is normal to invite at least 400 guests and have a long motorcade of costly cars for the newlyweds and their friends.

Families often save for many years or borrow from relatives to throw the huge wedding banquets. President Shavkat Mirziyoev has criticized such celebrations as shameless spending.

In 2018, he said, "Instead of spending [for wasteful parties], you had better paint the home of a poor man or buy a TV set for his family."

With jobs hard to get, millions of Uzbeks work as laborers in Russia and many other countries.

The weddings and other private gatherings -- such as funerals and birthday parties -- put pressure on many families in Uzbekistan, where the average wage is about $250 a month.

Neighboring Tajikistan has also banned huge weddings and other private parties. People who violate the ban are punished.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

guest – n. a person who is invited to a place or an event as a special honor

income – n. money that is earned from work, investments, business

benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

motorcade – n. a group or line of cars or other vehicles that travel together

lavish – adj. giving or using a large amount of something

banquet – n. a formal dinner for many people usually to celebrate a special event

shameless – adj. having or showing no shame

TV set – n. an electronic device that receives television signals and displays them on a screen