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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (AP) - President Emomalii Rakhmon has banned high school graduation parties in this largely Muslim Central Asian nation, the latest in a string of edicts on Tajik cultural and social life.
Rakhmon said he was concerned about the "pompous" and "excessive luxury" of school festivities, according to his press service. Earlier, he ordered a ban on the use of cell phones and private cars at high schools.
In recent years, end-of-the-year graduation celebrations have become elaborate and lavish, with wealthy families buying teenagers new dresses and suits, and renting limousines, restaurants and ballrooms for parties — a trend made all the more jarring given Tajikistan's widespread poverty.
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