Traditional doll wedding observed on seventh day of Bohag Bihu

Patacharkuchi, April 21: Traditional and unique doll wedding ceremony was performed in Patacharkuchi’s Tangarkur village on the night of the seventh day of Bohag Bihu.

The ceremony was observed with pomp and gaiety like yesteryears.

The wedding is observed by following all Vedic rituals.

Notably, the speciality of this event is that there is no place for the human bride and groom and there is no place for men too. All the works related to the wedding is conducted by women. Even the role of the priest for the wedding is played by a woman. The men attend only as spectators.

The wedding is solemnized at the courtyard of the Jagannath Kali Temple located on the banks of the Kaldia river flowing through the eastern part of the Tangarkur neighborhood every year.

The elders of the Tangarkur area claim that the historic doll wedding has been going on in Tangarkur since time immemorial and no one can say the exact time of introduction of such rituals in the village.

There are many beliefs as to why the doll wedding ceremony is held in the neighborhood.

The people believe that such celebrations bring unity and intregrity among the people and protect the villagers form various illnesses and evil affects.

In the wedding held on the seventh day of Bohag Bihu, the women use black, red and yellow yarns to decorate the brides and grooms made of thick long grass. Almost every family in the neighborhood prepares a pair of bride and groom for the wedding.

All the rituals related to an Assamese marriage ceremony, like bringing water by singing Biyanam and perform homjagya. After the completion of the marriage rituals, the brides and grooms are left afloat in the Kaldia river on a specially made raft with the women praying for peace and good health for the inhabitants.

- With inputs from news agencies