Written by: Deeva Shrestha - 28016, Grade VII
Posted on: 06 July, 2022
Ihi is a ceremony of the Newar community in Nepal. Ihi is also named 'Bel Bibaha'. It is when pre-adolescent girls ‘marry’ the fruit bel, which is a wooden apple. The fruit is considered as a witness for Lord Vishnu.
In a Newari community, a girl has to marry three times in her life. The first marriage is Ihi, the second one is Gufa and the last one is a real marriage.
The Ihi ceremony began centuries ago. This ceremony was done so the girl would be pure and fertile. The other reason why Ihi is done is because in the old days, if a woman became a widow, she had to sacrifice herself to her husband. This process is called ‘Sati’. So, in order to not take part in the ‘Sati’ process, the Newar community started the tradition.
This ceremony is organised by priests. It is organised in temples and houses. This ceremony is performed by girls who are from the ages of 5 to 9. They are only allowed to perform the ceremony at their odd age, like 5, 7 and 9, before they reach puberty. During this ceremony, they cannot eat any food or drink with salt as a form of fasting.
Ihi is a ceremony of two days. The first day is called Dusala Kriya. On this day, the girls are dressed as brides. They wear bridal dresses like a saree, a blouse, a shawl and ornaments. They have to do many rituals to finish the ceremony. They have to be measured 108 times from head to toe with a yellow thread. That yellow thread is worn on the second day of Ihi. They are presented with 84 kinds of dishes, which are called 'Thai Bu'.
The second day is called Kanyadan. Kanyadan refers to ‘giving away the daughter’. Many rituals take place during this day. The girl is offered to Lord Vishnu by her father alongside her mother. Vermilion is put on the girl’s forehead. ThakaliNaki (Thakali’s wife) is responsible for putting the vermilion on the girl’s forehead. They are given new things and their relatives offer a handful of rice three times. Then the ceremony ended.
Ihi is one of the most important ceremonies in the Newar community. It is believed that it can fight evil and bring peace. This tradition started a long time ago and it is still going on. We should never forget this tradition.
