An infant boy was married off to his neighbors’ dog in eastern India by villagers who said it will stop the groom from being killed by wild animals, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.

Around 150 tribespeople performed the ritual recently in a hamlet in the state of Orissa’s Jajpur district after the boy, who is under two years old, grew a tooth on his upper gum.

The Munda tribe see such a growth in young children as a bad omen and believe it makes them prone to attacks by tigers and another animals. The tribal god will bless the child and ward off evil spirits after the marriage.

“We performed the marriage because it will overcome any curse that might fall on the child as well on us,” the boy’s father, Sanarumala Munda, was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.

The groom, Sagula, was carried by his family in procession to the village temple, where a priest solemnized the marriage between Sagula and his bride Jyoti by chanting Sanskrit hymns, a witness said.

The villagers then ate a feast with rich food and alcohol to celebrate.

The dog belongs to the groom’s neighbors and was set free to roam around the area after the ceremony. No dowry was exchanged, the witness said, and the boy will still be able to marry a human bride in the future without filing for divorce.

Indian law does not recognize weddings between people and animals, but the ritual survives in rural and tribal areas of the country where millions are illiterate.

Posted: April 16th, 2009 by Kat Path
Filled Under: Must See Shit, Thank You Come Again
With Tags: dog, douchebags, india, indian, marriage ceremony, married, wedding, wedding ceremony
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Residents of India’s southern city of Bangalore have married off two donkeys, in the hope that the ancient ritual will usher in good monsoon rains.

Though monsoons have hit southern India, Bangalore is still waiting for its first showers and residents decided to invoke the ritual – detailed in Hindu scriptures – after their prayers failed to deliver.

Two donkeys – the bride Ganga and the groom Varuna – tied the knot at a temple on the city outskirts to loud cheers of about 100 guests, who attended the ceremony.

Rains are crucial in India, as the majority of the country’s population of over 1 billion depends on agriculture and farming.

The happy couple – who wagged their tails, oblivious to the commotion – were married off in a traditional Hindu ceremony, with the bride clad in a green silk sari with gold zari.

‘Praying for rain’

Great attention was also paid to ritualistic details such as the perfect invitation card, the right wedding attire and the freshest flowers.

Sunshine is forecast for the next five days

A traditional band entertained the guests, who sprinkled the newlyweds with flowers.

“We are praying for rains. We need rains, hope gods are pleased and it rains in Bangalore today,” Manjual, one of the guests, told Reuters news agency.

Only at one point did the groom get restless: when his attendant tied the holy threads around his hind and fore legs.

The guests, each of whom contributed to the marriage expenses, were later treated to a traditional meal at the temple.

Before leaving the ceremony, everybody was hopeful it would start raining soon.

Meanwhile, the BBC’s weather forecast suggested unbroken sunshine in Bangalore until Sunday at the earliest.

Posted: April 11th, 2009 by Kat Path
Filled Under: Thank You Come Again
With Tags: donkeys, india, indian, marriage ceremony, married, monsoon rains, wedding, wedding ceremony
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Barun and Bijuli at the wedding ceremony. Or maybe Bijuli and Barun, we're not entirely sure.

It’s a nice day for a green wedding – as two frogs got married in front of over 2,000 wedding guests in India.

The frogs were joined in matrimony in a traditional ceremony in Hengrabari, in the northwestern Indian state of Assam. It wasn’t the result of an amphibian romance, however, and neither of the frogs turned into a prince after being kissed.

Instead, it was an attempt to end the dry spell that has hit most parts of Assam over the past months, which has led to severe water shortages.

” It’s a traditional belief that when a frog marriage is performed, the Barun Devata [the rain-god] is pleased and the rain comes,” former councillor Bijoy Das told The Hindu newspaper.

The wedding of the frogs – male Barun (meaning wind) and female Bijuli (meaning thunder) – was accompanied by all the traditions of Assamese weddings, including songs and gifts presented to the bride.

The amphibians were then fed a special celebratory lunch of flies and mosquitoes. After the ceremony, the happy couple were sent on their honeymoon – by being released into a local stream.

A spokesman for the local authorities said: “The marriage went off very well. We hope that now the rains will finally come. The region is absolutely parched and we need rain. We didn’t know what else to do.”

The news was not so good, however, for a male toad who attended the ceremony, who died during the proceedings. We think “Kermit” suicide.

Posted: April 10th, 2009 by Kat Path
Filled Under: Laugh Your Ass Off, Thank You Come Again
With Tags: frogs, india, indian, marriage ceremony, married, toad, wedding, wedding ceremony
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A Banyan tree, posing at a singles club

In a bid to ward off evil spirits, a remote Indian town has performed a marriage ceremony between two trees.

The town of English Bazaar in West Bengal state had been plagued in recent times by a series of misfortunes and crimes – including burglaries, murders and accidental deaths.

An official from English Bazaar, Gouranga Mandal, told the Reuters news agency: “There was an evil eye casting a spell and a few senior government employees had planted two trees here to bring peace, but could not organise the marriage ceremony as they died from illness.”

The trees – which appeared to be embracing, as one banyan tree wrapped itself around the trunk of the other tree – were married in a ceremony in which the trees were draped with garlands and cloth as clerics recited hymns.

One of the 250-odd people who turned out to wish the happy couple well, local housewife Lakshmi Das, commented: “The trees only can save us.”

Let’s just hope this marriage won’t end up in flame, rumor said he might leaf her.

Posted: April 3rd, 2009 by Kat Path
Filled Under: Laugh Your Ass Off, Thank You Come Again
With Tags: douchebags, indian, japaneses, marriage ceremony, married, wedding, wedding ceremony
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An Indian man has “married” a female dog, hoping the move will help atone for stoning two other dogs to death.
P Selvakumar, 33, said he had been cursed since the killings, suffering paralysis and a loss of hearing.

The wedding took place at a Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu state. The “bride” wore an orange sari with a flower garland and was fed a bun to celebrate.

Superstitious people in rural India sometimes organise weddings to animals in the hope of warding off curses.

‘Tried every cure’

Crowds cheered the newly-weds at the end of the ceremony in Sivaganga district, about 50km (30 miles) east of the city of Madurai.

The “bride”, who is called Selvi, was led to the temple in Manamudurai wearing a sari before vows were exchanged in a traditional Hindu ceremony.

A relative of the groom who attended the wedding said he hoped Mr Selvakumar would now be cured.

“Fifteen years back Selvakumar was physically fit. But, once he attacked a pair of dogs and thereafter Kumar could not move his limbs freely,” the relative, Ramu, told the BBC.

“He tried every cure for his ailment but could not be rid of his disability.

“On the advice of an astrologer and others, he decided to marry a bitch to get cured. Then we arranged Selvakumar’s marriage with a bitch.”

Posted: March 6th, 2009 by Kat Path
Filled Under: Laugh Your Ass Off, Must See Shit, Thank You Come Again
With Tags: bitch, dog, douchebags, india, indian, indian man, marriage ceremony, married, wedding, wedding ceremony
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