Letter to BD#7 The ultimate Tug of War - A Ritual passed down through generations
In the Himalayan state of Sikkim, there is a tribe called Lepchas who are the original inhabitants of Sikkim . Lepcha or Rongs ( Rongkup for boys and Rongmit for Girls )
In this week’s letter to the Bohemian Dialogue, Lungmying Lepcha expressed the profound significance of a cherished wedding ceremony within the vibrant Lepcha community.
It is a ritual in the Lepcha community during the occasion of a wedding ceremony ( in the bride's household ) .
The groom and his party have to present and offer gifts especially the( leg portion of a pig ) which has to be carried by the male members from the groom's side and has to be carried inside the bride's household through the gates. But the game of carrying it inside is not so easy as the women from the bride's side have to guard them out and try to snatch their gifts along with stinging them with 𝑠𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑛𝑢 ( stinging nettle ) , numerous pulls and throws, tug of wars take place between the male party of the groom and the female party of the bride. According to tradition, only the males from the groom(𝑚𝑦𝑜𝑘) party and the females from the bride(𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑚) party are allowed to participate. The women have to snatch and keep the gifts hidden which would ultimately return to the grooms after a sum of heavy fines. The ultimate push and pull which was experienced after a long time Matims and anoms not giving up though their dumvon were sweeping the floor, tickling the male party yet they cling on and achieve their victory And after a humorous round of push and pull The event gets over with the groom party finally stepping into the household and ready to take the bride home Just a glimpse of what happens in a traditional Lepcha wedding which can be experienced in the hills of Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and some parts of Nepal. Thank you so much for reading
-Lungmying Lepcha