Shobha and Chandappa got married in a traditional wedding ceremony in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada district on Thursday, 30 years after their death. Clearly not an ordinary wedding, it was a ‘Pretha Kalyanam’ or the ‘marriage of the dead’.
‘Pretha Kalyanam’ is a tradition, still followed in some parts of Karnataka and Kerala, where marriage ritual is conducted for those who died during birth. The communities here believe this as a way of honouring their spirits.
YouTuber Anny Arun shared every detail of this peculiar union on Twitter.
“I’m attending a marriage today. You might ask why it deserve a tweet. Well, groom is dead actually. And bride is dead too. Like about 30 years ago. And their marriage is today,” he tweeted.
The wedding, as chronicled by Anny Arun’s 20-tweet thread, was as formal as it gets for any routine wedding. The only difference was that instead of an actual bride and groom, their effigies were used.
I reached a bit late and missed the procession. Marriage function already started. First groom brings the ‘Dhare Saree’ which should be worn by the bride. They also give enough time for the bride to get dressed!
“..Its a serious tradition here for those who died in child birth. They are usually married off to another child who is deceased during birth. All the customs happen just like any marriage. Two families will go to each other’s house for the engagement,” he tweeted describing the tradition followed in Dakshina Kannada.
The event also consisted of a marriage procession and “Saptapadi”, detailed the thread with multiple videos of the ceremony.
And finally, bride and groom take their place. Though they are dead, don’t think that atmosphere will be like the funeral!! It’s not. It’s as jovial as any other marriage. Everyone cracking jokes and keep the mood high. It’s a celebration of marriage.
Children and unmarried people are not allowed to witness the marriage, he wrote in one of the tweets.
Not just rituals, there was an elaborate feast, too. Fish fry, Chicken Sukka, Kadle Balyar, Mutton gravy with idly were on the menu
And the couple ‘lives’ happily ever after! Probably in the afterlife!
