****** ** *Here comes the groom... and he's a frog! *** Vigneshwari with her 'husband'
*7-year-old married to frog as part of weird ritual to protect TN village ** * *G L A D W I N E M M A N U E L * CHENNAI: In a bizarre ritual, a seven-year-old girl was married to a frog in Pallipudhupattu village in Tamil Nadu on Friday. A youth, Veerappan, held the 'groom', (the frog, who the bride's family claimed owns a ship because he lives in water), and assisted him in tying the 'thali' (mangalsutra) around the bride's, Vigneshwari's neck. The function had all the pomp and gaiety of a traditional Tamil marriage. "It is part of an annual ritual conducted on 'Kanum Pongal' day (fourth day of Pongal festival) in our village. On Friday, even the police from Kandamangalam police station, who were deputed for the function, were fascinated by the grand manner of the function," said P K Jayaraman, panchayat president. All the 750 families in the Dalit village blessed the couple, Vigneshwari and the frog, and partook in the feast thereafter. The entire village contributes towards the cost of the marriage. After the ceremony, the groom was set free in the village temple well, he said. The mangalsutra is removed after three days and kept in the temple. The marriage is an old custom which is getting grander year after year, as the younger generation, like their ancestors, believes that performing this marriage every year will keep their village free of diseases and conflicts. They believe that this ritual will protect the village from all evil, and girls who marry frogs will be blessed with a suitable match when they come of age. Jayaraman said once they failed to perform this marriage and that year there were some clashes in the village. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better; then the enmity between him and you will become as if it were your friend and intimate! Visit: sultan.org Subscribe: [email protected] Post to group: [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
