The Bizarre Tradition of Frog Weddings in India
Have you heard about the Indian tradition of getting frogs married to have a good monsoon season? No!? Watch this video, as we explain the bizarre tradition that is more common than you think.
India is a land of rich traditions. One such surprising tradition is frog weddings. Yes, you read that right! Every year, people in different parts of India organize weddings for frogs with the hope of pleasing the God of Rain and ensuring the much-needed monsoon showers.
In the tropical country of India, a large population still relies on farming as its main source of income. The monsoon season is crucial for irrigating crops, and this dependence has given rise to many rituals aimed at preventing drought and ensuring sufficient rainfall. One of the most unique of these rituals is the frog wedding.
The frog wedding tradition is most famous in Assam. It is quite old and is called "Bhekuli Biya" in Assamese. “Bhekuli” means frog, and “Biya” means marriage. The ritual is carried out towards the end of the dry summer months with the aim of invoking rain.
Assamese ancestors believe that it rains when frogs croak and call their mates, as per their folklore. There is even an ancient Assamese poem where farmers pray to the clouds, asking why there has been no rain. The clouds reply that if the frogs do not croak, it will not rain, linking the croaking of frogs directly to rainfall.
The frog wedding is as unique as the reason behind it. The wedding takes place following human Assamese wedding rituals. The process starts by catching one male and one female frog, usually two to three years old. The village head priest then sets the wedding "muhurta" (an auspicious time for the wedding), which is usually within a day or two of catching the frogs.
Both frogs are kept in separate houses until the wedding day. On the wedding day, the frog bride and groom are anointed with special oil and left to rest for a few hours. They are then bathed in holy water and dressed in miniature traditional Assamese wedding clothes and jewelry.
The dressed frogs are taken to the community ground, usually near a pond or a lake, where the ceremony takes place in front of hundreds of villagers. The frogs are placed on a decorated platform, and the head priest performs puja and prayers seeking the Rain God, Varun Devta’s blessings. He then ties the frogs together with a red thread, touches sindoor (a red powder) to the male frog and applies it to the female frog’s head while reciting Vedic hymns and mantras.
After the rituals are over, the villagers celebrate with feasts, traditional songs, and dances. The frogs are then released into a nearby pond or lake. The Assamese believe that if the newly wedded frogs stay together, it is a sign that the Rain God is pleased and rain will follow soon.
While the people of Assam strongly believe in this tradition, meteorologists argue that frog weddings and similar rituals have no impact on weather patterns. Scientists say that the only correlation between frogs and rainfall is that monsoon is their mating season. Yet, the frog wedding is arranged every year not only in Assam but also in other parts of India, with slight cultural variations. It is called "Banger Biye" in Tripura and "Mandooka Parinaya" in southern India.
Isn’t it an interesting tradition? Have you seen or heard about any such unusual rituals or traditions? Tell us in the comments!
