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The cultural and traditional richness in India is infinite and fascinating. Similarly, the religious belief and practices across the country are enormous and captivating. People respect them and take them forward from their ancestors without even judging the scientific explanation behind each one of them.
Though Indian traditions have that scientific background which has given the world the lesson of Spirituality and natural healing like Ayurveda still there is lot many practices which seem to be without any scientific backdrop. One such religious practice is pleasing the God and Goddess to receive financial, emotional or economic benefits. The faith on these practices is so strong even today that people perform some very peculiar and bizarre acts like- Frog Weddings!
Pleasing God Indra
The geographical and climatic conditions across the country vary and it is not surprising to find that in the same states, like the state of Assam, some part is facing the threat of floods and at the same time, people in other are facing drought. The helpless population of the farmers who are dependent on the rain for cultivating paddy and tea fear the loss of their livelihood and believe that the delay or absence of rain must be some bad deeds performed by them.
In return, they must please the heavenly and divine bodies to satisfy them and ask for mercy. People in parts of Jorhat district perform frog marriages to please the God of rain- Indra. They trust that doing so the God will bless them with ample rain for the cultivation of their crops.
The Special Marriage – Frog and the God
The marriage is quite normal is terms of all the rituals, traditional acts and the participation of people, where one group of people come from the bride’s side and one set of individuals represent the groom’s side. Folk songs are sung by ladies during the marriage function and just like a normal marriage, the function is solemnized by a local priest. The notable and exceptional part of the wedding is the bride- a wild female frog and the groom – a wooden figurine of the God. The ritual of applying vermilion to the newly wedded female is done on the female frog. People from across the village participate in the marriage function and bless the newlywed with gifts. All this is done as the villagers feel that doing this will please God Indra and as a result will bless them with rain. Some present the logic and proof of the occurrence of previous year’s rain after the ritual was performed and some even take this as a religious exercise which they are taking forward from their ancestors.
Whatever may be the case, whether the rain happens due to climatic changes or due to the strange rituals but the reality of the matter is human trust and faiths have no boundaries and under the influence of religious practices people still carry operations which are strange and peculiar!
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