And now . . . this - Feb. 25/05

What the . . . ?

Fire your dentist. Apparently if your teeth grow in unusual ways, it's an evil omen, and you have to marry a dog:

Two small boys and two girls were married off to four puppies by tribal villagers in the small northern Indian state of Jharkhand to ward off evil.

Local officials in Kuluptang village in Jharkhand said the "kukur vibaha" or dogs' marriages, were organised on the last day of a local tribal festival, the Press Trust of India (news - web sites) news agency said.

One of the tribals, 54-year-old Sonamuni, who blessed the marriage of her three-year-old grand-daughter Priya, said the wedding was no less important than other such ceremonies and all customs normally associated with marriage were followed.

The mother of "groom" Durga, aged one, said that if the first tooth of a baby came out in the upper jaw it was considered "inauspicious" for the child as well as the family and dog marriages had to be performed. (emphasis added)

[Full Story]

Is the marriage of an infant to a dog actually considered legally binding? If so, it's criminal. There's no other word for it. Sadly, there's no William Carey today to put an end to superstitious nonsense.

(H/T: The Great Separation.)