This Tribal Community’s Unique Wedding Rituals Will Amaze You!

Urban people have always been drawn to the unique and exclusive traditions of tribal societies.

One such event that sparks curiosity from all facets of society is the marriage ceremony held by the indigenous Koya community of Malkangiri district of Odisha

It is customary for neither the bride’s nor the groom’s family to invite their relatives to the wedding. The news of the marriage instantly gets across the community.

A day prior to the wedding, the bride’s family and a few other relatives visit the groom at his home. They choose a public area close to the groom’s village and begin a song and dance event there. At the sound of the drums, thousands of men and women from the Koya community in the surrounding villages swarm to the location. Everyone participates in Dhemsa dancing to mark the event, regardless of age.

The bride and her family, on the other hand, wait till dusk under a tree. In the evening, the bride’s friends dress her in a bridal dress, and she is driven in a procession to the groom’s home. At the groom’s residence, the song and dance programme is resumed, albeit it is still incomplete. The bride and her family are then welcomed inside the groom’s family’s home.

The next morning, the local tribesmen head back to their homes. Notably, there is no communal feast for those who participate in the wedding ceremony.

But during the day, the bride’s family brings in many earthen pots of Landa, a sort of intoxicant, for the celebration to consume. This beverage is made from fermented paddy sprout paste and is served in leaf bowls.

This is supposedly the biggest outlay in a Koya marriage.

The tribal people also do not require a Brahmin to perform the wedding rites, since a quack or, at most, a priest may do the ceremony using vermillion, a few grammes of rice, and a morsel of turmeric.

During the three-day marriage ceremony, only a select group of close relatives are treated to a feast at the groom’s home.