Dog Bride Protects Boy

19 Feb 09

As reported by the BBC News, a young boy who has a tooth rooted in his upper gum has been ‘married’ to a young dog in eastern India to help protect him and ‘ward off evil spirits and bad luck.’ Awoof!

The ‘wedding’ ceremony took place at Patarpur village in the Jajpur district on Monday 16 February. Like any good Hindu marriage ceremony, priests chanted Sankrit prayers and hymns and there was an accompanying feast.

The “groom”, Sagula Munda, was taken to the house of the dog, called Jyoti, in a highly decorated rickshaw and priests solemnised the ceremony. Sagula’s family said marriages to a dog were ‘traditional’ and would help ease the bad omen of his problem tooth.

The boy’s father, Sanrumula Munda, said of the wedding: “Tribals not only in this state but also in neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, observe such practices to keep the evil spirits away.”

Arranging “marriages” with dogs kept children protected from ghosts and bad luck — and by no means is the young Mr. Munda alone — many, many others have followed this tribal tradition.

The villager who supplied the ‘bride,’ Parakrama Munda, said: “This is just a ceremony to please the tribal deity - in the great epic Mahabharat a dog helped the Pandavas reach heaven.” (For more on the divine nature of the doggish in the Mahabharat, see the article by yours truly called ‘Dharma Dog’.)

And don’t you bother worrying about the future prospects of this young boy! He will still be able to marry a human bride in the future without filing for divorce. (Indian law does not recognize weddings between people and animals, but the ritual survives in rural and tribal areas of the country.)

SuperWoof to Sagula and Jyoti!

May their union bring them both the best of luck, grace, health & happiness!

Awoof! Archie