Unique Marriage: Village Streets Festooned With New Sarees In Odisha’s Koraput Village

Koraput: It was a different marriage ceremony at Mangalpur, a remote hilltop village under Narayanpatana block of Odisha’s Koraput district. Residents of the village, inhabited by 36 families belonging to Kondh community, organised the event in a unique way on Friday.

The village streets all along were festooned with sarees hung from tall bamboo poles.The sarees had been donated by the villagers.  Besides, the streets were covered with tree branches to ward off heat.

It was the marriage of Masi Nachika and Tika Kendruka, both residents of the village. All villagers got together and wanted to organise the marriage in a special way.

According to local residents, as the bride and groom belonged to the same village, all extended cooperation and preparations for the marriage to be organised in a different way.

Each family had to donate three new sarees bought from a local market.

Another reason for special decoration of the village was that a tent house had refused to do the job since entry of its heavy vehicle carrying tent articles into the village was not possible.

Two villagers, Subana Nachika and Subash Kendruka said that for last few years the village had not seen any marriage.

Hence, all villagers were united to celebrate the marriage. The sarees donated by villagers that have been used for street decoration will be given away to the newly-wed. The marriage was solemnised as traditions and customs of Kondh community, they added.