Shocking moment as 8-year-old girl 'marries' 10-years-old boy in ritual gypsy wedding ceremony

The Gypsy “wedding” between an 8-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy that took place in Romania has caused outrage among people on social media.

A video of the tradition taken moments before the ceremony began in Dolj County shows the young girl surrounded by older women as they put the finishing touches on her long dress.

Wearing a shimmering bright pink dress and heavy make-up, the girl delicately touches her long-styled curls while a local singer, identified as Alex de la Caracal, cheers up the crowd.

Meanwhile, the groom is seen happily dancing on the side with his friends at his side, who keep patting his back and encouraging him. The singer changes the focus of the video from himself to the kids from time to time, capturing the happy faces of the adults surrounded them too.

At one point, the singer calls the groom and says: "Leave the toys aside, today you married your bride," earning a thumbs up and a smile from the kid.

Seconds later, the bride is pushed on top of a stool in the center of the room, so that everyone can look at her dress, which seems to be adult size. She smiles and poses for the camera, while some of the women keep on trying to make the dress stay in place over the girl’s petite figure.

The images caused a stir on social media once they were shared. People called out the children’s parents, as marriage between minors is illegal in Romania.

Viewer Don Vochin tried to justify the ceremony claiming that the event was not a real wedding. Is just a ceremony where the kids are promised to each other in marriage, but the formal wedding will take place when they’re older.

According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, some Romanian communities practice "early marriage,” as reported by The Sun.

Until 2007, the minimum age for marriage in the country was different for men and women; 18 for men and 16 for women. However, the Local Council could approve a 15-year-old to get married if accepted by an "official physician."

The young couple would not be expected to have sex and would almost certainly continue to live with their families for years to come.

After an investigation, local officials said they would not file charges since the marriage was not legally registered in the town hall.

On top of that, the self-proclaimed leader of the Roma community Dorin Cioaba announced four years ago that the gypsies who marry their minor children would be facing criminal charges.

There has been no reaction from the gypsy community or the authorities regarding the incident. In 2011, a similar event took place in the county of Galati, in the eastern Romanian region of Moldova. The couple who got married were eight and seven years old.