Traditions that violate rights must be ended

A VIDEO clip posted online shows the father-in-law of a bride rudely kissing her at a wedding ceremony in Yancheng, East China's Jiangsu province. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

One day after the video went viral online, the family reportedly responded that the father-in-law was drunk and regretted what he had done. The local police also said that the incident did not cause any fight and no crime had been committed, but they hoped people would "act in civilized ways" when holding ceremonies.

Finally, on Tuesday, a local legal firm claimed in the name of the family that the father-in-law did not kiss the bride at all and he "simply made a kissing gesture according to local customs".

The legal firm said that the father-in-law's deed followed local traditional customs. The problem is, traditional customs should not be used as an excuse for uncivilized behavior.

Customs were formed in the past and they might suit the decades when they emerged. But we no longer live in those times.

In the video, it can clearly be seen that the bride who suffered from the deed of her father-in-law was not happy as she made an expression of disgust. Obviously, the deed of her father-in-law was against her will, which violated her rights and her dignity. If such a custom did exist, it should be consigned to the past.