Hundreds of Cambodians on Monday celebrated an unusual
wedding ceremony -- for a pair of pythons -- who they believe will
bring good luck to their villages.
The marriage of serpent bride Chamreun to groom, Krong Pich, was
held in Village One in Kandal province, about 20 kilometres (12
miles) south of the capital Phnom Penh, and attracted nearly 1,000
people, according to witnesses.
"We organised the wedding ceremony for the pythons in order to
oust bad things and bring good luck and happiness for our
villages," said 41-year-old Neth Vy, Chamreun's owner.
Neth Vy said his family had raised Chamreun in their home since
1994, after the then finger-sized snake got caught in his fishing
net in a lake.
He said Chamreun had gone missing for over a month but was found
a week ago, at the same time people in his neighbouring village
caught a male python, which they named Krong Pich.
Old villagers decided to wed the two pythons after a boy, who
was believed to be spirit-possessed, said Krong Pich wanted to
marry Chamreun, or "people in the villages will suffer illnesses
and bad luck," Neth Vy told AFP.
He said some fortune tellers had also appealed for the marriage
between the pythons in order to bring "good luck and harmony for
the people in the villages".
"So we held the wedding ceremony for the pythons with blessings
from Buddhist monks, in accordance with our tradition," he
said.
Many people offered money and prayed after the pythons were
placed in the same cage following the religious ceremony.
"It surprised me. Since I was born I have never seen snakes get
married," said Penh Kong, a 56-year-old vendor, while admired the
happy couple.
Many Cambodians are highly superstitious, particularly in the
countryside where people continue to merge animist practices with
Buddhism.