Frog weddings organised in Assam for rains

Jorhat (Assam) [India], Aug. 27 (ANI): Frog weddings were solemnized by the Rongdoi village in Assam's Jorhat district to please the Hindu Rain God Barun. Hundreds of village folk, young and old, boys and girls gathered at Rongdoi village community hall till late at night to witness the unconventional marriage. There is a mythological belief among Hindus that if wild frogs caught by people are married off with Vedic rites and traditional marriage rituals like human beings, it can help bring rainfall in the coming days. Thousands of farmers are facing a drought like situation throughout the state as the monsoon rain is eluding to hit the plains of Assam for almost a week. The people (farmers) of Jorhat is also passing through a bad phase of dust storm and dry wave these days followed by severe water crisis in paddy fields too, which motivated the citizens to arrange for frog marriage as to please the rain god. There is a belief that when a frog marriage is performed, the Barun Devata [the rain-god] is pleased and brings rain. Since, there has been no rain for the past couple of weeks, villagers of Rongdoi have performed the frog marriage to invoke the Barun Devata and expecting the rain to come very soon. The paddy crop in most parts of the state has been affected. In fact most of the region did not receive any significant rainfall for the past weeks casting a long shadow of ecological destruction which could have an adverse and cascading effect in rice cultivation as well as other industry like tea etc. (ANI)