At a time when celebrity wedding ceremonies are making headlines and catching the fancy of the nation, Odisha celebrated a unique marriage with much pomp and splendour.
The wedding ceremony that took place in Barkul on the banks of Chilika lake on Sunday had every element of a grand celebration — hundreds of baaratis in the marriage procession, loud music, delicious fare and to top it all, VVIPs in the guest list.
It was in a way Odisha's own celebrity wedding with just one exception — the bride and the groom were beautiful dolls made of lac.
The marriage was organised in conformity with the Odia tradition of ‘ jau kandhei bahaghara (lac doll marriage)’ by ‘Purbasa Lok-kala o Adivasi-kala Sangrahalaya’, an institution and museum at Barkul. ‘Forum for Ganjam’ of Berhampur is also involved in the development of this museum.
Several residents from Bhubaneswar turned up at the event as the friends and relatives of the bride. Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik was a part of the groom’s troupe, while Chilika MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Harichandan was a member of the bride’s family.
Drive against social evils
The aim of this unique marriage ceremony was to promote traditional folk and tribal art forms and create awareness against social evils like dowry and child marriage. The marriage procession, which started from Berhampur, included performers of several folk dance forms of Ganjam district like Bagha Nacha (tiger dance), Ghoda Nacha (horse dance), Sakhi Nacha.
Sudhir Raut of ‘Forum for Ganjam’ said, that through this ceremony they tried to pass on the message to safeguard the purity of marriage by eradicating evils like dowry, child marriage. “Through this ceremony we also tried to make the public realise the importance of respect towards elders and vagaries of intoxication in family life." he added.
At the time of exchange of gifts, the baaratis sought a promise from the bride's friends and relatives from Bhubaneswar that they would plant 5,000 saplings in Berhampur and keep their city pollution-free. The bride’s party immediately agreed to it and in return, demanded a promise from the Berhampur residents that they will take good care of the daughters being married into their families.
A huge crowd gathered at Barkul to witness this unique marriage ceremony which also flagged off the annual celebrations of Purbasa Lok-kala o Adivasi-kala Sangrahalaya. The event, which will include a folk dance and music festival, will be held from December 21 to 31.
