Culture: GUPHA-caving girls under 12 for 12 days

Normally Newar girls are married thrice in their lives. The first marriage is called Ihi or Bel bibaha”. It is performed

Puja's Gupha program in Ashford, Kent, UK

when a girl reaches her 7th year. She is married to bel “apple fruit” as it signifies immortality. And then they are married to the Sun which is called “Bara Tayegu” (Newari) or “Gufa Rakhne” (Nepali). When they get into human conjugal relationship its actually their marriage. These marriage ceremonies are conducted both among Buddhist Newars and Hindu Newars.

Bara Tayegu:
It is conducted before girls strait menstruation. Girls in a group or alone are kept in a room with windows draped with thick clothes and door always locked so that not a single ray of sun can enter the room. She can’t see boys nor hear their voice. Twelve days- she lives a solitary life as if she were a prisoner in solitary consignment. This is how we or I, not belonging to newar clan think or may think. But for Newars it’s a time for celebration. A step taken by woman towards her womanhood.

Bel Bibaha – Securing a Woman’s Future

The traditional customs and practices of the Newar communitythat live in Nepal are often interesting to learn about. Most of their practices and beliefs are things that can never really be fully understood by questioning westerners, but still, it is worthwhile taking at least a brief look at these various customs.

One practice that is still quite common in the Newar community is that of Bel Bibaha. Also known as ‘Ihi’ or ‘Ehee’, as it is said in Newari, this is the unique traditionof marrying a girl child to the bel fruit. In this ceremony, the bel fruit is the bridegroom and is representative of the son of Lord Shiva, Lord Kumar, who is seen as the eternal bachelor. The ceremony takes place before the girl even reaches puberty and it is said to help her gain active and healthy reproductive powers as she matures. Thus, if you are able to visit Nepal and see a young, pre-adolescent child all dressed up and made up with makeup, she is likely participating in her Bel Bibaha ceremony.

It is interesting to note the sort of impact that the ceremony is said to have in the lives of the young girls who participate in it. If, during the ceremony, the bel fruit is damaged in any way, it is said that the girl or bride will end up with an unattractive, unfaithful husband when she is really married. That is why every effort is made to ensure that the fruit is as healthy and ripe as possible. The Bel Bibaha ceremony in Nepal also serves as a sort of protection, for, if the girl’s husband should die, it is believed that there is no need for her to be considered a widow since she is already married to Lord Kumar who is still alive.

Whether you believe that the Bel Bibaha ceremony is strange or a classic example of traditional aging rituals and rites, is up to you. One thing is for sure – this ceremony is unlikely to disappear from Newari culture for some time yet, as its value is seen as being priceless to the women and young girls of the community.

Bel Bibaha means that the girl will never be alone in life. Bel Bibaha is celebrated on a mass basis. A number of girls are married to the “good” results. It is a custom of people in the country of Nepal and in particular the city of newari. The day is celebrated a Mass Ehii is the sacred day of “Basanta Panchami.” This practice of Bel Bibaha is usually associated with girls aged 8 years and 16 years. This custom ensures that even after the disappearance of her husband, a woman is not regarded as a widow because she was already married to “good” results. The “beautiful” fruit is regarded as her first husband.