In Madhya Pradesh's Chhattarpur, two live frogs were married off in a wedding ceremony
A minister in the Madhya Pradesh government was seen attending a ceremony where two frogs were married off to appease rain gods. Minister of state for women and child development Lalita Yadav was present at the ceremony which took place on Friday in Madhya Pradesh's Chattarpur city, reported news agency ANI. In an interview to ANI, the minister said the ritual was performed for the drought-hit region of Bundelkhand. A similar ceremony was also held in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi city but instead of real frogs, toy frogs were used.
In Varanasi, the plastic bride and groom, were placed on plates decorated with garlands as a priest chanted Sanskrit verses and performed a special
hawan (prayer) to please the rain gods. Most parts of Uttar Pradesh are experiencing a severe heat wave. A poster depicting the newlyweds and announcing their nuptials hung on the wall in a room full of people gathered for the wedding. Before the ceremony, a wedding procession danced to drum beats to celebrate the special union of the frogs.
The organisers said the wedding was arranged to appease lord Indra, the Hindu god of rain.
"We want rainfall in the city. It's an old belief that the wedding of frogs makes Indra Dev happy. We have been affected by the blistering heat. It is raining everywhere but not in Varanasi. So, we organised this wedding, requesting Indra Dev to hasten the arrival of monsoon in the city," an organiser told news agency ANI.
Two people dressed as bride and groom were also part of the ceremony. After the wedding, all four of them posed for photos.
Watch the absurd wedding here:Although rare, frog weddings are not unheard of in India. In 2009, residents of
Jharkhand's drought-hit Chatra district organised a similar wedding for frogs to appease the rain god. The wedding with a difference included a feast for 500 people, invitation cards and even a car for the groom. The couple in this wedding were not made of plastic but actual frogs. The female frog was adopted by a local who performed the '
kanyadan' or giving-away ceremony.
"I will keep both frogs in my house. It is my duty to feed them as I did the
kanyadan of the female frog. We hope the marriage will end our woes," he said.Click for more
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