At a time when severe heatwave has wreaked havoc in Uttar Pradesh (UP), where temperature has been breaking all records every passing day and even nights, people hailing from Srinagar Colony of UP’s Varanasi district in Pahariya locality opted a ‘superstitious way out’ to appease the rain gods. People here organised a grand ‘frog wedding’, which, they said, would appease the rain god, ensuring early rains in the region. Interestingly, this is not the lone incident. People from other districts, too, have resorted to a ‘superstitious solution’ to beat the heat in order to appease the rain god in their own different ways.
Others may call it a superstition but people here say that for them it’s a tradition that is carried out when the heat is at its peak and summers become unbearable. “It is not a superstition, it’s a belief and a tradition which we and our ancestors have been following since ages. Not only does this tradition help in pleasing ‘Indra Devta’, the God of rain but also helps us in bringing timely rains,” said Rakesh Kumar Chaubey, the priest of Dih Baba temple in Pehariya area, Varanasi, who solemnised the great frog wedding, which he said would not only bring down the soaring mercury but will also help in appeasing the Rain God.
On Thursday, people from Pahariya and neighboring localities, including Chaubey, gathered at the Dih Baba temple for the traditional frog wedding, hoping to invoke early rains. The participants believe that marrying frogs, symbols of fertility, will appease Indra Devta and alleviate the scorching heat. “We are struggling with the soaring mercury and we are sure that the marriage of frogs, believed to represent fertility and propensity, will appease Indra Devta and bring in early rains, thus bringing much-needed relief to the people,” said Satyam Kumar Jaiswal, one of the organisers.
The ceremony mirrored regular weddings in which the ‘frog couple’, often believed to represent Indra, the rain god, and Prithvi Devi, the embodiment of Earth, were made to sit on a platform as priests chanted mantras. Not only this, the frogs were tied with a sacred thread, made to exchange garlands amidst the mantras recited by the temple priest. The marriage was followed by the much awaited feast.
Chaubey, the priest of the temple, told News18 that solemnising frog weddings is not a child’s play as the marriage is no different to that of humans and the only difference is that in place of bride and groom, the female and male frog are placed. He said frog weddings are almost a month-long affair which begin with the selection of a healthy male and female frog. “Once the ‘frog couple’ is selected, the tradition to chalk out the auspicious day for the wedding and the day is shortlisted on the basis of the position of stars and planets,” the priest said.
He said similar to the human bride, as a part of pre-wedding rituals, the female frog is smeared with turmeric paste (Haldi) and adorned with miniature decorations. After carrying out the wedding, he said the frogs are released back into their natural habitat with a hope that frogs will croak heartily, signalling the arrival of rain.
However, it is not the only incident where people opted for a superstitious way to appease the rain god. In other districts including Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Ballia too, people organised frog weddings to appease the rain god. In some regions of UP, there is a tradition to take a mud bath, which is believed to invoke rain god.
In the backdrop of the tradition and rituals, which people are resorting to, to get rid of the scorching summers, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no relief from heat in UP until June 20, when the first monsoon shower is expected in UP.
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