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| June 24, 2010 | In Varanasi, they marry off the croaking frogs, so let it rain cats and dogs! | |
Varanasi: The people here organised a series of the mythical marriage of the frogs to please the rain gods to usher in a delayed monsoon. They prayed that the weather gods would open up the skies and bless them with ample rainfall. The unbearable heat and no signs of monsoon had compelled them to organise the wedding of frogs to invoke the divine powers of the rain gods. At one of such venue, the local priest solemnised the marriage to the chanting of hymns from the Hindu scriptures during which he himself applied vermilion on the forehead of the female frog. The wedding was performed to the resonance of Vedic hymns recited by the priests as per traditional
Hindu marriage rituals. "Today we performed the wedding of frogs as per Hindu rituals. The predictions of the weather department failed as evident from the prevalent extreme hot weather. This is an age-old tradition that if frogs are wedded, then Indra Dev will be pleased and monsoon will follow," said Munna Lal Yadav, organiser of a frog marriage. Frog's wedding was organised in many parts
of the city; some people used artificial frogs where real frogs were in short supply. People participated in this mythical wedding in large numbers. The wedding was
performed to please Lord Indra Dev, the divine figure regarded as Lord of rain by the Hindus so that he showers the rain. "As per our Hindu tradition, the wedding of
frogs signifies that during rainy season frogs come out and welcome Indra Dev. The wedding is performed so that frogs croak and welcome Indra Dev as well as the monsoon showers," said Anand Chaubey, a local priest. The months of May and June are the hottest in the country with the temperatures often hovering in the range of 45 degrees Celsius at many places. People look forward to the rains
to cool down. |
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