Bel Bibaha or Ehee is a ceremony in Newari community of Nepal in which pre-adolescent girls are married to the Bel (fruit of wood apple tree) fruit. The fruit is bridegroom that symbolizes the eternal bachelor Lord Kumar, the son of Lord Shiva, and the marriage ensures that the girl becomes and remains fertile.
The Bel fruit must look rich and ripe and must not be damaged in any kind. It is believed if the fruit is damaged in any way, the bride will be destined with an ugly and unfaithful husband after her real marriage. However, the most important reason for marrying the girl with the Bel fruit is that once she is married to Lord Kumar, she will remain pure and chaste and she would not be considered a widow even after the death of her ‘real’ husband as she is already married to the Lord who is still believed to be alive.
Normally, Newar girls are married thrice in their lives. The first is called Ehee (in Newari) and Bel Bibaha (in Nepali) when they marry the Bel fruit. The second is the marriage with Sun which is called Tayegu (in Newari) or Gufa Rakhne (in Nepali). Finally the third, when they marry a real bridegroom. These marriage ceremonies are practiced by both Buddhist Newars and Hindu Newars.
The tradition of Bel Bibaha is believed to be started after a raid by Shamsuddhin Ilyas- a warlord from Bengal, during the 14th century. The invading force sacked the land, burnt palaces, looted temples, killed men and boys, dishonored girls but left married women alone. This led people to believe that marrying pre-puberty girls would save them from dishonor in any future raid.
Photo by Rob H. Aft.
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