Gujarat: Groom dresses up for marriage but sister marries bride because ...

A groom cannot attend his own wedding and his unmarried sister or any unmarried woman from his family should represent him in the ceremonies as the groom, that is how weddings take place in these tribal villages in Gujarat.

The groom stays at his own home with his mother, while his sister leads the ‘barat’ (wedding procession) to the bride’s door, marries her and brings her back, reports Hindustan Times.

“All the rituals that a groom traditionally does are conducted by his sister. She takes the ‘mangal phere’ with the bride instead of her brother,” says Kanjibhai Rathwa, local resident, Surkheda village.

“This practice is followed in three villages here; it is believed that if we don’t follow this custom then some harm will befall,” Rathwa says.

Pundits say this unique tradition reflects the tribal culture, is part of their folklore had been followed by the tribes since time immemorial.

According to the folklore, the male deities of the three villages Surkheda, Sanada and Ambal where this custom is followed were bachelors and the villagers in order to show them respect keep their grooms at home, doing so they believe will protect their grooms from harm.