Ihi
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Ihi (Nepal Bhasa: ईही), also spelled as Ehee, is a ceremony performed by the Newar people of Nepal in which age 5,7 or 9 girls are ceremonially "binding" to a symbol of either the Hindu deity Vishnu or the Buddha. It is believed that if the girl's husband dies later in her life, she is not considered a widow because she is married to Vishnu, and so already has a husband that is believed to be still alive. This was basically done to dodge the tradition of 'Sati Pratha', where after the husband dies, the widow sacrifices herself in the burning fire.
See also
References
Citations
- ↑ Gutschow, Michaels & Bau 2008, p. 93.
- ↑ "Bel Bibaha". Nepali Times. 8 December 2019. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
- ↑ Parajuli, Abhas (15 June 2023). "The story of Ihi: Why girls from this community are 'marrying' a fruit". SBS. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024.
- ↑ "Little Newari girls attend Bel Marriage in Nepal". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ↑ "Ex-Kumari of Bhaktapur looks forward to devoting her time to studies". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
Sources
- Gutschow, Niels; Michaels, Axel; Bau, Christian (2008). "The Girl's Hindu Marriage to the Bel Fruit: Ihi and The Girl's Buddhist Marriage to the Bel Fruit: Ihi". Growing Up—Hindu and Buddhist Initiation Ritual among Newar Children in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Wiesbaden, GER: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 93–173. ISBN 978-3447057523.
- Levy, Robert Issac (1990). Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520069114.
 | This article about the culture of Nepal is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |