In Banswara’s Barodiya village of Rajasthan, a customary wedding between two boys is organised in which the bridegroom and the bride both are young boys. This marriage is only a custom and is considered a part of Holi celebrations.
This ritual, which has been carried on by ancestors for several years, can be seen on Holi eve in Barodiya village, which is located on the Nimbahera-Dohad highway in Banswara district.
A group of youths known as ‘Geria’ in the local language, led by the village headman, begin their search for two unmarried boys who have not yet received the ‘Yagyopavit Sanskar’ (sacrificial ceremony). The Geris move around the village at night, singing and dancing to the beats of drums. Children in the village stay inside their homes for fear of being found. If a boy is caught, Geris’ team carries him to the wedding hall set up at the Lakshminarayan Mandir Chowk in the village’s centre.
The first boy found is declared as the groom, while the second is declared as the bride. A pandit performs all of the marriage rituals in the mandap. The Gerias perform wedding songs. According to village elders, residents of the Kheduwa caste believed that such a wedding would bring peace to all of the village’s families.
