Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Yahoo news

Yahoo news seems to gather the most imaginative stories from around the world. Here's a great example of a story so rich in images, so fanstasical that I feel it should have some deeper significance. But I don't think it does, and I like it all the more for it.

'Toddler Weds Dog To Avoid Indian Tiger Doom'

The ceremony, at a Hindu temple in Orissa state's Jajpur district,was conducted with all the rituals observed at traditional weddings.

It included a dowry for the bride - the village bitch.

The dog sported two silver rings and a silver chain, the UNI news agency reported.

Parents of the groom, 18-month-old Sangula, were advised to arrange the marriage when they noticed a tooth growing from their infant son's upper gum.

The growth was considered to be a bad omen in the boy's tribal community.

Village elders believed it would lead to him being killed in a tiger attack - a fate preventable, according to tribal tradition, by marrying a dog.

Sanrumula Munda, Sangula's father, said the ceremony would not stop him from marrying properly when he comes of age.

Superstition is still a potent force in tribal and remote communities of India.

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