在线约会软件找不到白马王子？你可以去“新郎集市”看一眼，一手交钱，一手交人。这不是天方夜谭，而是在印度传承了700多年的一项传统。集市上被买卖的新郎都是明码标价，其中从事工程师、医生和政府职员等职业的年轻小伙子最为抢手。

 

For over 700 years, the Indian state of Bihar has been hosting a unique groom¹ market where women and their families come to shop for husbands.

印度的比哈尔邦有一个延续了700多年的“新郎集市”，女子及其家人可以来这个独特的集市选购丈夫。

 

Every year, thousands of men gather under the Pipal trees in the local market area of Madhubani district, India’s Bihar state, and wait to be chosen by prospective² brides. The 9-day groom market was allegedly started by Raja Hari Singh of the Karnat dynasty over seven centuries ago to make it easier for women to find the right husband from a diverse group of men. Each groom is priced based on their capability³, including their educational qualifications and family background.

每年都有成千上万的男子聚集在比哈尔邦默图伯尼区当地市场的菩提树下，等待着被他们未来的新娘选中。据称这种为期9天的新郎集市是七个多世纪前由卡纳特王朝的拉贾·哈里·辛格创立的，目的是为了让女子更容易从万千男子中找到合适的丈夫。每名新郎会根据自己的能力（包括学历和家庭背景）来标价。

 

Imagine going to a market to pick up your life partner. That sounds crazy, especially in this day in age, but it’s exactly how some women in Bihar choose their husbands. Accompanied by their families, they browse⁴ the available offers, ask for proof such as birth certificates and school certificates, and if they find someone they like (and they can afford), they start discussing the details.

想象一下去市场挑选人生伴侣吧，听起来很疯狂，尤其在今时今日，但这就是比哈尔邦的一些女子挑选丈夫的方式。在家人的陪同下，她们会浏览集市上各位新郎的价格，请他们出示出生证明和学历证书等证明，如果找到自己中意又“买得起”的，就可以开始商讨细节了。

 

Al Jazeera recently documented Bihar’s traditional groom market, reporting that engineers, doctors and government employees are most sought after, with the young ones being the most popular. Even though dowries are officially illegal in India, and that one of the main goals of the groom market was to eliminate the dowry, it’s still common practice for young, eligible⁵ bachelors to demand considerable dowries from the family of the bride.

半岛电视台最近播出了一部关于比哈尔邦传统新郎集市的纪录片，纪录片中报道称工程师、医生和政府职员是新郎集市上最抢手的，从事这些职业的年轻小伙子最受欢迎。尽管嫁妆在印度是不合法的，新郎集市的主要目标之一也是为了消除嫁妆陋习，但是在印度，条件好的年轻单身汉向新娘家索要高额嫁妆的做法仍然很普遍。

 

Apparently⁶, the brides themselves hardly have a say in choosing the groom. It’s their families who have the last word, ultimately choosing the bachelor that strikes a good balance between affordability⁷ and an impressive resumé.

显然，新娘自己对于新郎人选几乎没有发言权，新娘的家人才能决定选谁，并最终选定一个价格合适、简历又出众的单身汉。

 

Although the groom market of Bihar isn’t nearly as popular as it was only a few decades ago – mainly because of more convenient options, like online dating apps – it still draws thousands of bachelors, some of whom travel hundreds of kilometers in the hopes of being selected.

尽管比哈尔邦的新郎集市没有几十年前那么受欢迎了——这主要是因为在线约会应用等便利婚恋方式的涌现——但是新郎集市仍然吸引了成千上万的单身汉，有些人不远数百公里来此就是希望能被选上。

 

Interestingly, India also has a bride market. In Haudati, brides are available for various prices, depending on their qualifications and homemaking skills.

有趣的是，印度也有一个新娘集市。在好达提的这个集市，新娘的价格高低取决于她们的各种资质和持家才能。

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