VANE BEHADVUN

Initiation of Bhil Marriage Ceremony

The ancient culture of the tribal / Adivasi / indigenous India should be saved from being lost as useless through the process of the protection of their culural rights. These elaborate and cultural rites and rituals give the social unity, love and a sense of social belonging. These days it is very much seen in the hundreds of Bhil marriages in the district of Jhabua, MP. No matter, where these poor, deprved and hungry people have goone for procuring food, they return back, spending lots of money , just to be one with their tribal groups. It is seen that educated and the non educated Bhil come together to perform togethere these rites and rituals which the mainstream society has ignored including the NGOs working for over decades of years who silently impose and integrate their own social and cultural values.

The Bhil marriage has an elaborate rites and rituals already beginning prior to the initiation ceremony of marriage. On the initiation ceremony called Vane Behadvun, the Bhil village community officially install the bride or the bridegroom for the marriage ceremony which last for ode number of days. In this social even all the sections of the community and clan has specific role to play which is traditionally assigned by the Bhil society to perform. What a beautiful even. The sequence of the events on the Vane Behadvun are like this:

1. The village community assembles at the house of bride or the bridegroom in the darkness of the night.

2. Women folk start singing folk songs of the Bhils describing coming of the friends and relatives, introduction of the other partner, invitation to the village headman(Tadvi) to install the bride or the bridegroom on the seat of marriage called Bharati, etc.

3. Playing of the musical drums by musicians (Vajotari) and their honouring by Arati done by the women folk of the bride or the bridegroom.

4.Collection of the Bharati items such as mango leaves, pipal tree leaves, winnowing fans,(supada), turmeric, oil, rice, husking pestle, other items.

5. Bride or the bridegroom is ceremonially taken of bathing the purification ceremony, bride weeps and then brought to the seat for initiation ceremony. Hence forth they maintain silence. If leave the seat they hold a sword or an arrow in a hand as the sign of heroism and defence.

6. Now the village or clan girls start singing of the folk songs.

7. Bride - bridegroom is brought to Bharati for the initiation ceremony.

8. The candidate is annotated with oil on the hands and legs.

9. Covered with dhoti(while clothe of) brother-in-law and 4 boys and 4 girls smear rice with the winnowing fans.

10. Daru (country liquor) is offered to Bharati.

11. Signs of turmeric are put on the front wall as the signs of deities' presence by the Tadvi(village headman) or elder of the clan(gotra).

12. Girls continue singing folk songs in Bhili. Through the folk songs, the girls scoff the relatives of the candidate for marriage, prepare the girl or bride to face the suffering in the other or the alien house, and meanwhile the turmeric is applied to the partner.

13. Girls carry bride or the bride groom on their shoulders and dance in the inner room.

14. Brother in law carry the bride or the bridegroom on the shoulder and made one round of the house.

15. In the Khali(dancing spot) boys and girls dance as long as they feel nice as the night grows.

16. Then bride or the bride groom is brought in the house and all depart to sleep.

All the rites and rituals are conducted by the village community members and the traditionally job assigned to them. The master of the house or the father of the bride or the bridegroom only hosts but not directly involved in the carrying of the functions. Beautiful ceremonies. But the intervention of the outsiders, including the Indian missionaries they have corrupted tribal cultures They denied the value of leadership of the tribal community and Centralised for making themselves more powerful and impoverishing the tribals. thus spoiling their culture and weakening of the tribal leaders and tribal cultures.

Retaining of these rites and rituals will help remain united tribal communities of India, which will serve as a social bargaining for their overall human rights which are badly damaged by all who are serving them or finding inraods among them for their own benefits.

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