Mock marriage held for good husbands on Kumari Poornima in Orissa

Shampur (Orissa), Oct 3(ANI): A mock marriage ceremony meant for seeking good matrimonial alliance was held here on Saturday on the occasion of 'Kumari Poornima', an ancient custom of Orissa.

Two underage girls performed bride and groom in the mock wedding ceremony in Shampur village.

Village's unmarried girls assembled on this occasion to witness the mock marriage as a 10-year-old tied nuptial knot with a seven-year-old here.

The objective of the ceremony is to seek blessings of God for good husbands for all village girls of marriageable age.

"Rituals are like original marriage. Starting from bringing holy water from the seven homes to going to the temple before marriage to take the blessings of God. Everything is done as per the rituals of a Hindu marriage," said Pushplata Sahoo, a villager.

The ritual is being held for the past 27 years in Shampur, and the expenses are borne by donations from local residents for the ceremony.

Dressed in wedding dress, the girls playing the 'groom' and the 'bride' seemed quite excited with the ceremony.

"I am happy today as I'm dressed in bridal finery for the marriage," said 10-year-old Varsha, the 'bride'.

The girl performing 'groom' in the ceremony also seemed thrilled at the prospect of getting a good husband after performing this ritual.

"Today is my marriage. This is a ritual and we believe that by performing this, we will get good husbands once we grow up," added Pooja, the 'groom'.

After the wedding, the mock bride and the groom were taken back to their homes. (ANI)