Villagers Arrange Extravagant Wedding for Monkeys in India

The online edition of the Hindi language daily, Daily Bhaskar, reported that a wedding ceremony was organized in the Bettiah district on Monday evening by a daily-wage worker who said he considered the male monkey as his own.

The “groom” named Ramu and his “bride” Ramdulari were featured in a procession on top of a jeeo decorated with flowers and ribbons, with a brass band in tow, playing popular tunes.

Scores of villagers lined the streets, cheering and dancing while others took photographs on their mobile phones.

Photographs showed Ramu wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt, embracing Ramdulari who was dressed in a pink frock amid smiling villagers and their children.

Speaking to the daily, the worker, Udesh Mahato said he purchased Ramu seven years ago and later bought Ramdulari from a village fair. According to the report, Mahato decided to unite the two simians in wedlock when they started liking each other.

The wedding rites were solemnized by a Hindu priest amid chanting of mantras at an astrologically auspicious time after which the villagers in attendance were treated to a feast.

Monkeys are considered sacred by Hindus. The simians are treated as descendants of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman and are often fed by devotees at Hindu temples.

In September, almost 200 people shaved their heads in central India to mourn the death of a monkey in their village.

- Times Live