Marriage of Two Trees

In India, earlier some bizarre marriages of elephants, dogs etc. had been reported but this time it is the marriage of two trees, yes, marriage of two trees!!!!!! It was an Indian wedding in every sense with a colorful procession, the blowing of conch shells, the smearing of vermilion, a feast for over 2,000 guests......only the bride and the groom were trees!!!!!

It happened in Balia village in Orissa state of India. The marriage of the banyan tree with the peepal tree was not just another rural quirk, as it sent a powerful environmental message - to preserve the green cover for protection from killing heat waves that threaten Orissa every summer.

The marriage was organised at Balia village on the outskirts of Balasore town, some 230 km from Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar by residents, who also believe it would bring prosperity to the villagers.

"The wedding of these trees is considered auspicious. After deciding to hold the marriage, we consulted a priest who decided that Sunday was an auspicious day for the wedding as per the Oriya almanac," as per the "Malati Das", president of ‘Maa Thaneswari Self Help Group’ (SHG) of the village.

This SHG along with 21 other SHGs and villagers organised the wedding.

While the banyan tree was the bride, the peepal tree growing next to it was the groom. The villagers divided themselves into two groups, while Uttam Patra stood in as the father of the bride, Radha Mohan Das became the father of the groom.

The bridegroom's party came to marriage venue in a colourful procession. The ceremony was replete with firecrackers, dancing and a fire ritual.

The wedding was performed amidst the chanting of mantras by priests. They garlanded the trees and tied them together with a thread. With the sankha, sindur, tupura - all symbols of Oriya wedding rituals - in place, it was every bit a traditional wedding.

And there was a grand feast too, with food being served to over 2,000 guests!!!!!!!

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