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Indonesian Husband Ends Five-Year Marriage Through Tolaki Ritual, Hands Wife to Lover

A reconciliation ceremony focused on letting go to restore social balance formally dissolved the union under local customary law.

Overview

  • Village chief Safrudin confirmed the dissolution was completed through the Mowea Sarapu ritual and accepted by both families.
  • At the ceremony, the couple apologized before elders, relatives and villagers, after which the husband formally handed his wife to her lover.
  • The lover provided symbolic compensation under custom that included a cow, traditional cloth, a copper vessel and five million rupiah.
  • A widely shared video shows the husband urging the lover to take good care of her, drawing mixed reactions online.
  • Tolaki elders describe the ritual as restoring dignity and harmony, though repeating it carries social stigma for women.