CAIRO – ‘I have only two rings, will you marry me?' This is the name of a new group on the social networking site Facebook, launched last Thursday as a national campaign to cancel the shabka, according to its administrators. "I need a simple way to get married, without any formal complications. There is no need for an expensive shabka or wedding party," they write. Shabka is a collection of gold earrings, bracelets, necklace and a ring, the traditional gift in Egypt from the groom to his bride, when they get engaged. Most brides' families determine the how much the shabka should cost. Some marriages never happen, because the parents of the bride want the groom to spend a huge amount of money on the shabka. At a time of global economic uncertainty, the price of gold, traditionally seen as a safe haven for investors, has surged in Egypt, jumping LE30 per gram in just two weeks. This is why some young Egyptians decided to come up with this Facebook initiative. The group has already attracted around 21,000 members of both sexes until now. "Do you know that one gram of 18 carat gold costs the same as a doctor's monthly wages?" one member comments, without giving his or her name. Another member, Nada, says that it's not impossible to change the families' belief that a marriage is not complete without the shabka. "We managed to topple Mubarak, so we can surely change families' minds, convincing them of the need for marriage without complications," she writes. Meanwhile, a young man called Shehab has a halfway solution. He suggests that the shabka should be silver, not gold, “making it much cheaper”. "The most important thing is that the man has high morale standards, is responsible and can protect the girl," writes Habiba, who sees that the problem is not with the shabka, as these days few girls are forced into marriage. Another woman, Rabab, sees that the problem is not with the shabka, but the flat the couple need to live in. Michael Karam says that this campaign should target Upper Egyptian cities, where families are much stricter about customs and traditions. “Sometimes, in the villages, the shabka costs as much as LE50,000,” he says. Egyptians once considered gold the skin of the gods, and lavished it on their ancient pharaohs as they passed to the afterlife. But today, with its soaring price, gold is putting a strain on the age-old tradition of marriage as couples struggle to afford "shabka", the ritual gift of gold jewellery considered a vital part of weddings across the Arab world. Beset by high unemployment, rising inflation, and low monthly wages, many poorer couples are renting the gold rings and bangles they need to wed. The expense of shabka – which always includes a gold ring – must be borne by the groom, who presents it to his bride to be to a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" from family and friends. In Egypt, prices for shabka depend on families' financial means. A bride's family may request a shabka from just $600 – for a wedding band and two bangles – to $8,000 or more for an entire set of gold jewellery and a diamond ring. The word 'shabka' originates from the verb 'to tie', and signifies a bond between the couple and the bride's value.
