“Mummy, I want to take off this sari. Can I do it now?,” said 8 years old Akshata Pradhananga , a participant of the ‘Ihee’ ceremony held in New York on 24th August 2014. People were enjoying watching her adoring activities since everybody knew it was slightly uncomfortable to wear sari in young age like hers. She, along with 3 other girls were the participants at the ceremony.
‘Ihee’, also called ‘ Bael Bibaha’ is an important cultural activity for the girls of Newar community in Nepal. As wikepedia refers- “Bael is the species of tree native to India “. This tree is considered sacred by Hindus. Bael in Nepali refers to the fruit Wood Apple that is commonly found in South East Asian countries. Interestingly, this fruit is not eaten in Nepal. However in some of the countries like Srilanka, it is considered a healthy juicy fruit. Bael is considered to be the avatar of Lord Bishnu. ‘Bibaha’ means marriage in Nepal. Young girls from Newar community aged 4 to 10 years have this marriage ceremony before their menstrual period.
Normally, this ceremonial is of two days but here in USA it is hard to manage time so it has been shortened to 1 day where all the rituals are performed. The priest who performs this service is called ‘Gubaju’ . Gubaju Basav Rajopadhya shed some light on the importance of this ritual. He explained that this form of worship increases the fertility of a girl and she is always protected from evil spirits.
Shraddha Pradhananga, mother of Akshata was happy to have her daughter in the ceremony. She said that it helped her daughter to know about her roots and her culture. “Wherever we go, we should never disregard our culture and tradition. This is our identity,” beamed Shraddha.
Newar girls have two marriages in their lifetime. First with the Bael Fruit and thereafter with a man when she is of age.
The organizer of this collective ‘Bael Bibah’, Newa Nakha New York was very much satisfied with this event. It was their 3rd edition of the ceremony. One of the organizers, Birendra Pradhan said that the collective group ceremony gives them a chance for a get together as well.
Akshata was finding it difficult to carry out this observance but she said she was enjoying it a lot. But she had her worries too. ” My dad told me that it was my first marriage. What if my friends found out that I am married ? I would be the subject of joke. But it’s fun to be a bride”, she chuckled.
Historically speaking, this ‘Ihee’ ceremony had protected Newar girls from ‘Sati Pratha’ . ‘Sati Pratha’ is where a widow burns herself alive on her husband’s pyre. This ill-tradition used to be practiced in Nepal till the then Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher abolished it on 8th July 1920. Whereas in the Newar community, the women are not considered widow since they are married to ‘Bael’ or Lord Bishnu in their childhood.
At this colourful rich cultural event held at the Wat Thai Temple in Elmhurst, New York, about 70 people gathered to observe the occasion. The visitors were a mix of Nepalese from different communities as well as a few Thai and Chinese. The ceremony concluded with Newari popular cuisine Samaya Baji and Chhwela.
Pic: Dipika Shrestha
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