A teenage boy in a tribal village in eastern India has married a hill in order to please its goddess and get rid of a curse placed on his mother.
The boy, Robin, married a hill named Lakshmi (after the goddess of prosperity) in front of a large number of people in Jharkand state, the Hindustan Times has said.
The boy's mother had fallen and hurt herself while trying to climb the hill, and she believed the goddess was unhappy with her. She started to pray to Lakshmi and after three months the goddess visited her in a dream.
PHOTO: 法新社
“The hill goddess asked me to get my son married to her. The marriage will help in getting rid of her curse,” said Keswar Devi, who lives in Bordih village, about 170km southeast of the state capital Ranchi.
“I asked my son and he agreed to the marriage.”
On the wedding day, Robin wore a traditional bridegroom's outfit and set out on foot with a large, happy party from his village to the hill three kilometers away.
The 400 villagers washed the hill with water and Robin placed a string of flowers at the top.
After the priest performed the wedding ceremony, a party was thrown by the groom's family.
“I have accepted the hill as my wife,” said Robin. “I have no remorse.”
A local anthropologist said it was not uncommon for tribal people to marry objects or animals.
“There are (lots) of examples (of) tribal people (getting married to) trees, dogs and other animals,” said former Ranchi University anthropology professor V.S. Uppadhyah. The professor believes this is because the lives of the tribal people are very connected to nature.(AFP)
印度東部某部落的一名青少年為了取悅女神並替母親破除詛咒，迎娶山丘為妻。
印度斯坦時報的報導指出，賈坎德邦這個名叫羅賓的男孩在眾人面前迎娶一座以女財神拉克須米命名的山丘。
羅賓的母親在爬上這座山丘時不慎摔落受傷，她認為是拉克須米女神遷怒之故，於是開始向祂祈禱，三個月後女神在她夢中顯靈。
住在伯迪村（位於賈坎德邦首府蘭契東南方約一百七十公里處）的科絲瓦?德維說：「這位山丘女神要我讓兒子娶祂為妻。這場婚禮將有助於破除祂所施下的詛咒。」
「我問我兒子，而他也同意這段婚姻。」
婚禮當天，羅賓穿著傳統新郎服一路從村落步行到三公里外的拉克須米山，沿途就像一場盛大的狂歡派對。
四百位村民用水清洗山丘新娘的臉龐，而羅賓則在「她」頭頂上戴上一串花環。
在祭司行婚禮儀式後，新郎的家人舉辦了一場派對。
羅賓說：「我已接納拉克須米山丘為我的新娘。我不會後悔。」
當地一名人類學者表示，對原始部落來說與物件或動物結婚是相當普遍的現象。
前蘭契大學人類學教授烏帕德海說：「原始部落和樹木、狗兒及其他動物成婚的例子不勝枚舉。」烏帕德海認為，這都是原始部落的生活與大自然緊密結合之故。
（法新社／翻譯：林倩如）
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
A: Where will the 35 sports of the 2025 World Masters Games be held? B: Apart from Taipei and New Taipei City, some games will take place in Yilan County, Taoyuan County, and Hsinchu County and City. A: The news says about 25,000 people, including many celebrities and sports stars, have already registered for the games. B: Even Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who is 47, registered for softball and squash. New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi, who is 68, also registered for table tennis. A: And it will be the largest sports event ever in Taiwan’s history. How exciting. A:
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
RSS