Bel Bibaha (Ehee) Ceremony Conducted Based on Newari Tradition with Arshiya

17 Dec 2023
Bel Bibaha or Ehee Ceromany of Arshiya Shrestha
Background Music:
Song: Rajamati Chaa
Singer: ​⁠‪@UjanShakya‬
Original Video: • Ujan Shakya - Rajamati...
Camera/ Edit: ​⁠‪@sanilkrmchr‬
Girls from the Newa community in Nepal get married at least three times in their lifetime. The first ceremony called Bel Bibaha (‘Ihi’) is where pre-adolescent girls are married symbolically to a bel fruit (wood apple). The wild fruit is considered a symbol of the Lord Vishnu.
Bel Bibaha is followed by Bahra, where girls are again married to the Sun God. The ritual is practiced before the girl hits puberty or before her first menstrual period.
According to Newa belief, a woman is not considered a widow even if her husband passes away later in life since they would still be married to the gods Vishnu and Sun.
On the days of Akshay Tritiya, Shri Panchami, and Vivah Panchami, it is also believed that the female does not need to look at the location. This is done before menstruation, particularly in girls aged 5, 7, 9, and 11. It is a two-day ceremony beginning with the purification rituals and ending with Kanyadan of the girl by her father. Kanyadan refers to ‘giving away the virgin’. It is performed in Non-Newar Hindu marriage. So, Ehee or Bel Bibaha is the first marriage of the girl except that she is married to the immortal God Kumar. It is a sacred ritual for the Newari girls and is conducted by Priest called Gubhaju for Buddhists Newars and Deobhaju for the Hindu Newars. It is usually done in group where the marriage ceremony of more than 1 or sometimes even hundred girls are performed at once.
The first day of Ehee is called Dusala Kriya when the girls prepare themselves at home with purification bath, new clothes and ornaments. Then they assemble at the purified courtyard with a senior woman of the father lineage. They seat in a neat line around the edge of the courtyard and go through series of rituals for a couple of hours.
On the second day, the major event takes place when the girls assembled at the courtyard are dressed in glittering bridal suit comprising of ankle length skirt, blouse and shawl, more ornaments and red tika on their foreheads to give bridal look. The day begins with purification rituals and proceeds to Kanyadan when the father gives his daughter to Lord Kumar. It ends with giving a set of married woman’s clothes to the girl by her parents.
It is performed to save the girl from various dangers like the attack of spirits. But most important reason is to protect her from widowhood. The girl is in an eternal marriage with a god, so, the death of her mortal human spouse cannot deprive her of her married status and make her a widow. It also protected them from the custom of being burned alive on their husband’s funeral pyre, a common practice among the Hindu communities a century ago. It also enforces the widow remarriage in Newar community making the women free from the Hindu traditional viewpoint of one life one marriage system.
The tradition of Bel Bibaha is still performed in the Newari community with slight changes in the original customs and rites.
It's a concept of Sanil Karmacharya
#Belbibaha #Newariculture #rajamatichaa

[@niteshshrestha5162]

dammi cha bro

[@melinakatel2087]

Ekdam ramro xa Dai

[@ajitbnd]

Good work @sanil .

[@Diptesh1224]

Good work @Sanil. Loved it so much. Sad that I could not be part of this amazing video.

[@Ramshrestha2708]

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