| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 14-May-01 01:25 PM
Namaste,
From Xinhua (http://www.xinhua.org).
Trailokya
Group Wedding Challenges Traditional Customs in Nepal
2001.05.07 13:40:23
KATHMANDU, May 7 (Xinhuanet) -- It was an unusual wedding ceremony in Kathmandu. No brass band blaring Hindi songs; no priests giving blessings for the brides and grooms; the brides not having to touch their grooms' feet as they usually do in traditional marriages; and no throngs of people in luxurious attire invited for bumper food.
Defying the growing extravaganza in marriage ceremonies in Nepal, the six couples were tied into a nuptial knot for life in a simple program.
Instead of long and tedious religious procedures, the leader of a political party, invited as the chief guest in the group wedding, presented red tika (sign of blessings on forehead for Nepali people), Nepali cap and red shawls to the couples.
The walls of the simple but bright wedding hall were decorated with paper flowers and slogans, one of which read "Let's promote collective and inexpensive marriages and discourage the growing social aberrations."
"We chose to get married like this, because we need not worry about dowry and costly feasts here," said 18-year-old Bhawana Bhatarai from Lalitpur district.
Bhatarai said she never felt disappointed to be married in such a simple wedding. Rather, she is proud that she has become a member of a progressive lot, who want to free the society from unnecessary economic burden during marriage ceremony.
Her groom, Narayan Dahal, echoed her opinion.
"Marriage is for mutual understanding and I am confident that though we have not spent money on wedding, our life would not be less happy than other couples," he said.
Sudarshan Ghimire, a journalist of a local newspaper, has chosen this group wedding to start a new life with his bride Parbati Timilsina, to show the young generation a right path to emulate.
"I want to bring a change in the society and I know that it is possible only if we stand as an example," he said.
Nowadays in Nepal, especially in urban areas, extravaganza in weddings are a commonplace. So pompous and complex have become modern weddings that the whole process involves a series of parties, gatherings and gift exchanges.
A typical urban wedding ceremony involves at least five pompous occasions, that begin with engagement ceremony and end with a gathering of new matrimonial relatives. One grand party and exchange of expensive gifts ensue each occasion.
Kaji Pradhan, who runs a grocery store in Lalitpur, had sold a piece of land for his first daughter's marriage and is in debt to marry off the second of his three daughters. Numerous dowry and grand parties cost him dear.
Pradhan said social pressure forced him to be ostentatious. "It is both a custom and a matter of social prestige. The fear of being talked about by my relatives and neighbors was uppermost in my mind," he sighed.
Although old habits die hard, changes is already underway, Kumar Poudel told Xinhua.
Such group weddings, often organized by political groups, are becoming more and more common as one of the ways to defy the tradition, though it has not taken trend in the Nepali society, said Kumar Poudel, an official of Lalitpur District Development Committee, the organizer of the group wedding.
"If we make continuous efforts, I believe the traditional wedding customs will be changed sooner or later," Poudel said with confidence. Enditem
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