Unmarried girls act oxen for a day in Bihar!

Samstipur (Bihar): Farmers of Pagta hamlet in Bihars Samastipur District have a unique custom that requires spinsters to till the land for a day following a centuries old ritual.

Samstipur (Bihar): Farmers of Pagta hamlet in Bihar's Samastipur District have a unique custom that requires spinsters to till the land for a day following a centuries old ritual.

Unmarried girls of the village are invited to play the role of the oxen on hauling the plough. This custom has existed as a ritual for generations here.

It is followed by a belief among the land owners that with the pious footsteps of the unmarried females, the land would remain productive forever.

"To save the land from becoming barren, we perform this ritual. With these girls tilling the land, we hope that our land will become fertile and productive," said Bimla Saha, a landlord-farmer.

Three of the total invited girls are chosen to perform the ritual.

"Although we have to bear the pain, still we do it, since it's a part of our tradition. We are invited to perform this customary Puja," said Lovely, a spinster who ploughed the land as part of the ritual.

However, the chosen girls deny queries about any sort of exploitation, as they say it is a part of volunteering efforts to augment their village lands' productivity. The girls are worshipped before performing the ritual of ploughing in the field.

Although world has moved ahead with times, certain old traditions and beliefs rarely die. By Rajneesh

ANI