Fear of Disease Results in Two Seven Year Olds Marrying Frogs
Dressed in traditional bridal gowns gold jewelry and sarees, the two seven year old girls stood aside their husbands to be; Frogs. Vigneswari and Masiakanni, little girls from the Pallipudupet village in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district were the blushing brides in this traditional ceremony that goes back many generations held at two separate temples. Each drawing in hundreds of villagers to witness the event.
Traditional Vedic hymns were chanted as the temple priests garlanded the brides and tied the magalsutras on behalf of the frogs, each one being pronounces wives of the croaking husbands. While all of the guests enjoyed the ceremony, and danced. There was also a glorious feast with all of the traditional delights being served.
Thankfully there is no consummation of the marriage afterwards. At the end of the evening, instead of receiving kisses and turning into dashing stud muffins to sweep the brides off their feet; The two terrified frog princes are thrown back into the temple pond from which they were caught earlier in the day.
An elderly woman of the village remarked that this ceremony has been practiced for years to ward off disease for the village.