The Bride Married The Fruit And The Sun

Throughout Nepal, there is a mythical nationality known as the Newar, who are required to marry three times in their lifetime. Even more unbelievable, the first marriage is to the Bel (fruit of the wood apple tree), which is known as Ehee (in Newari) and Bel Bibaha (in Nepali), and the second marriage is to the sun, which is known as Tayegu (in Newari) or Gufa Rakhne (in Nepali) (in Nepali).

Bel Bibaha: When a Newar girl reaches the age of seven or eight, her parents will locate her a "Bel Husband." Although this is a symbolic marriage, the splendour is comparable to that of a traditional wedding. The main reason for the wedding is for the parents to wish their daughters well in their future marriages. The Bel fruit must be ripe and undamaged, otherwise the bride will be married to an unattractive and unfaithful spouse after her real wedding. However, not all Newars will do this rite for their daughters in the future.

Gufa Rakhne: Any girl who has held a "Bel Bibaha" shall celebrate her second marriage to Sun in the first half of the month following her first menstruation. The groom this time is the sun! For 11 days, the girls must live in a dark room while the food is passed down by the family's older ladies. The girl must get up before the sun rises on the 12th day, take a bath, then apply grease on her body before being blinded and carried to the platform on the roof. The girl's blindfold is untied as the sun rises, and she begins to worship the sun. This is a purification ceremony. She became an adult woman after purification in the dark room and was ready for the official wedding.