SOCIETY

Tribal girls in Orissa marry dog to ward off curse

     Palasun (Orissa): Strange as it may sound, but Munda tribes in Orrisa marry off their infant girls to dogs if they get their first tooth rooted on the upper gum, to ward off bad omen and evils. It is a belief among the tribals that those baby girls who get their first tooth rooted to the upper gum are being cursed and will be killed by wild animals, unless married to a dog. The marriage ceremony is held during the month of 'Chaitra' - March-April. This year, two girls were married off to a dog in Palasuni village, located at the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar. "We have a tradition that if a girl's first tooth comes out onto the upper gum, then the girl has been cursed. So to ward off the curse, we marry them off to dogs otherwise wild animals will kill them," said Basantidas, one of the brides' mother. The marriage ceremony takes place as a full-fledged normal wedding ceremony, with the dog coming in a marriage procession properly dressed and in style and the bride's family welcoming him. The people present at the marriage dance, sing and make merry as in any wedding ceremony. The parents of the brides ensure that none of the rituals - from pujas to giving dowry to the girls -- are missed out because they do not want to risk the lives of their daughters. "All the rituals are being carried out. The groom (dog) comes in a marriage procession and the bride's family welcomes him. Then all the rituals starting from puja to dowry, everything is being followed like an original marriage. We cannot take a risk with our daughter's future," said Sadhucharan, father of the bride. Even if people know that the whole affair is a superstition, they don't want to take any risk when it comes to their own daughters. The tribal elders say the marriage will not affect the girl's life, and that she will be free to marry again later without divorcing the dog. But what her next husband, of course a man, will feel about sharing the status with a dog, that God knows!
-April 8, 2005

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