World of our Own
A small child is brought to the Aravaan Idol in the festival. Apparently her horoscope states she has an evil force upon her that will cause her (first) husband to lose his life once she marries. Hence she is married to Lord Aravaan and made a widow, or at least posed to marry Aravaan and widowed symbolically. The girl wears several sacred threads around her wrist and her neck, the one in the neck symbolizing the wedding to god.
This thread is severed and thus technically she is now a widow legally but logically she is not even old enough to attain puberty so any marriage ceremony is invalidated (with this one exception of course) thus saving her from the heinous crime of swallowing her future husbands life once she marries. Its a win win situation and everybody gets a fair share and is happy.
Here an Aaravaani helps severe the holy thread on the girls hands and throws it into the camphor fire pit. Her mom dutifully stands behind her and prays hard that her daughter not be made a widow by her ill fate written for her in her horoscope. The little girl of course knows nothing about any of the activity going on around her and is enjoying all the attention and plays this fun game.
Another Aaravaani next to her is immersed in her own world and she is breaking her bangles with a twig from a branch of a tree so that she can join the group of mourners to sing the elegy of Aaravaans death.
Canon EOS 400D with the Sigma EF 24 - 70 MM F/2.8, Aperture Priority, F/2.8 at 1/50th of a Second, ISO400.
World of our Own
A small child is brought to the Aravaan Idol in the festival. Apparently her horoscope states she has an evil force upon her that will cause her (first) husband to lose his life once she marries. Hence she is married to Lord Aravaan and made a widow, or at least posed to marry Aravaan and widowed symbolically. The girl wears several sacred threads around her wrist and her neck, the one in the neck symbolizing the wedding to god.
This thread is severed and thus technically she is now a widow legally but logically she is not even old enough to attain puberty so any marriage ceremony is invalidated (with this one exception of course) thus saving her from the heinous crime of swallowing her future husbands life once she marries. Its a win win situation and everybody gets a fair share and is happy.
Here an Aaravaani helps severe the holy thread on the girls hands and throws it into the camphor fire pit. Her mom dutifully stands behind her and prays hard that her daughter not be made a widow by her ill fate written for her in her horoscope. The little girl of course knows nothing about any of the activity going on around her and is enjoying all the attention and plays this fun game.
Another Aaravaani next to her is immersed in her own world and she is breaking her bangles with a twig from a branch of a tree so that she can join the group of mourners to sing the elegy of Aaravaans death.
Canon EOS 400D with the Sigma EF 24 - 70 MM F/2.8, Aperture Priority, F/2.8 at 1/50th of a Second, ISO400.