Child Marriages On ‘Auspicious Days’ And The Forgotten Meaning Of Prosperity

As the wedding season unfolds, streets buzz with music, families gather in joy, and rituals across faiths celebrate new beginnings. From church bells to nikah chants, temple hymns to Gurudwara blessings-the unifying thread is one of sacred union and shared hope. But amid this celebration, something more sobering also unfolds. In quiet corners of our country, children-some not even teenagers-are being married off under the cover of custom.

How did we get here?

Marriage, in every faith and culture, is meant to be a union of choice, of readiness, and of maturity. But over time, auspicious dates and religious festivals have been manipulated to justify child marriage. No sacred text across any religion mandates this. There is no divine order that demands a girl's childhood be traded for vermillion or that a boy forgo education for adult responsibilities. It's not a rite of passage-it's a violation.

And yet, the myth persists. Whether it's Akshaya Tritiya in Hindu communities, Eid weddings in some Muslim areas, or even customary practices in tribal and rural Christian belts-the practice continues. This, despite the fact that no religious text mandates child marriage. There is no scriptural endorsement, no divine instruction that asks for a child's life to be cut short in the name of blessings. It's a myth, not a mandate. A cultural distortion, not a religious directive. And yet, this harmful interpretation persists, turning what should be a celebration of growth into a moment that halts it.

The ceremony is often rushed, the birth certificates hidden or forged, and the law-the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act-pushed aside in favour of what's seen as tradition. These marriages are often kept under wraps, organised quietly in village temples or community halls, with neighbours turning a blind eye.

But there is hope. And change is already happening.

Across India, a different kind of movement has begun to take shape-one that seeks not to challenge the sanctity of 'auspicious times' but to restore their true meaning. The Supreme Court of India issued guidelines to end this evil practice last year. Thereafter, the government of India launched a nationwide campaign for 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' and has since been mobilizing all the stakeholders to keep a vigil and ensure no child marriages take place. Child rights advocates, community leaders, and legal organisations are working together to break the link between this sacred day and a harmful practice. They are doing so not by attacking faith, but by aligning their message with it. Prosperity cannot begin with coercion. Blessings cannot come at the cost of a childhood.

In the lead-up to festivals and wedding seasons across all faiths, posters now appear on temple gates and mosque walls: No Child Marriages Here. Religious leaders across faiths are being engaged-not as adversaries, but as allies. Pundits and maulvis are pledging not to solemnise any marriage without verifying age. In some areas, caterers, tent decorators, even local sweet vendors have joined the movement, refusing to be complicit in a child marriage. It's a quiet resistance, rooted in awareness and a shared moral compass.

This grassroots shift is being strengthened by legal interventions. Organisations like Just Rights for Children (JRC), working in 418 districts across the country, have been at the forefront of providing legal aid, stopping child marriages and ensuring families understand not just the illegality, but the long-term consequences of such decisions. Working closely with administration, law enforcement agencies, block-level officers, village panchayats and buoyed by the government of India's 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' campaign, they are aiming for a Child Marriage Free India by 2030. Their vigil gets sharper and intense during such high-risk periods across all faiths.

The response isn't always easy. Some families react with anger, others with disbelief. "But it's only a ritual," they say. "We're doing what our parents did." But child marriage isn't a tradition-it's a tragedy passed down like inheritance. A girl married at 14 has definitely dropped out of school, is more vulnerable to domestic violence, abuse and rape, and is at greater risk of early and unsafe pregnancies. What may begin with flowers and music often ends with silence and suffering.

To change this, we don't need to fight the festivals. We need to reclaim them.

Whether it is Akshaya Tritiya, Eid, Gurpurab, or Christmas, every celebration is meant to mark joy, abundance, and hope-not to bind children to adult roles. Let the auspicious beginnings be a girl finishing school, a boy dreaming of college, a family choosing dignity over outdated customs. The promise of every sacred occasion should be to unlock a life of limitless possibility for every child. The calendar may mark one day as sacred. But childhood? That is sacred too.

Author: Bidhan Chandra Singh, National Coordinator, Child Marriage Free Bharat & part of the Global Campaign to End Child Marriage for Just Rights for Children