Ehee:Unique Newari Tradition of marrying with imortal

Ehee : Unique Newari Tradition of marrying with immortal

Ehee

Ehee (Bel bibaha in Nepali) is a unique Newari culture and tradition. Young Newar girls who haven’t turned 13 take part in the ceremony when they are at an odd age of 5, 7 or 9 years before their first menstruation. In Newar community, girls are married three times in their lives. This is the first marriage of her life.

Story behind reason to marry with immortal

ehee 

Main reason to hold Ehee has to be to protect the girls from ‘Sati Pratha’ a practice in Hindu religion centuries ago where girls had to sacrifice their lives at the time of their husband’s death. In Newar community, this ceremony held for girls protected them from this unkind custom and also shielded them from the stigma attached to widowhood. Even if their real husband died, the girls wouldn’t have to sacrifice their lives as they would never be considered as widows because their first husband
Suvarna Kumar is a god, an immortal with the bel fruit  as witness.The girls would always have a husband in him who is still considered alive by the community. Because of Ehee and Bahra Tayegu, Sati pratha eventually ended in Newar community. 


The first one being Ehee, which lasts for two days where they are married to Lord Vishnu, second in Bahra Tayegu (Gufa rakhne in Nepali), this time they are married to the Sun and third one would be with their real husband.

The first day of Ehee is called ‘Dusala Kriya’. On this day, girls have to go through the ceremony of purification. They are bathed and prepared as brides dressed in red and golden colored blouse, sari and shawl.
 They all gather in line and the priest starts the ritual for worshiping the golden statue of Lord Vishnu which is also known as Suvarna Kumar
(golden bachelor).

The second day is the most important part of Ehee called "kanyadan".The priest performs the ritual of Kanyadaan with the girls’ parents,
where the fathers give away their child’s hand in marriage to Suvarna Kumar with bel fruit (wood apple) as witness to the ceremony.

Bel fruit has a unique quality of not getting rotten and retaining its freshness for a very long time.
The bel fruit given to the girl should look rich and ripe without any damage.
If the fruit is damaged or has marks on it, it is believed that the girl will have an ugly husband and unfaithful husband in real life.
At the end of the day they are presented with clothes and jewelry as gifts.

Nowadays ehee is organized in collective way. Hundreds of girls are gathered together in group ceremony.