Indian boy weds dog to ward off tiger attack
INDIA: A group of Indian tribals have married off a toddler to a
female dog in eastern India in a bid to prevent his predicted death at
the hands of a tiger, a report said Wednesday.
The ceremony at a Hindu temple in Orissa state's Jajpur district was
conducted with all the rituals observed at traditional weddings,
including a dowry for the bride - the village bitch. The dog sported two
silver rings and a silver chain, the UNI news agency reported.
Parents of the groom, one-and-a-half year old Sangula, were advised
to arrange the marriage when they noticed a tooth growing from their
infant son's upper gum - considered a bad omen.
Community elders believed the growth would lead to the boy being
killed in a tiger attack - a fate preventable, according to tribal
tradition, by marrying a dog.
Sanrumula Munda, Sangula's father, said the ceremony would not
prevent him from marrying properly when he comes of age.
Superstition is still a potent force in tribal and remote communities
of India.
NEW DELHI, Wednesday, AFP
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