LAVISH WEDDINGS BHAWANI CHAULAGAIN

Our society is really different since it is tied to several religions, cultures and costumes and our social mileage. Nepal is a predominantly Hindu country having its own socio-cultural norms and values. Although, it is declared as a secular country more than 90 percent people believe in Hindu culture and tradition. As per Hindu mythology and legends, marriage ceremony is considered to be a basic need of conjugal life. Each and every members of the society irrespective of any religious background have their own rules and regulations stipulated by their society. As far as the concern of Hindus goes, all members of the society must have to abide by the rules and regulation established from time immemorial. In our society marriage ceremony also comes under one of the influencial norms to be followed by all citizens of tyhe society. Here bride dressed in red saree and groom in daura suruwal exchange vow with each other as the priest chants Hindu Vedic Mantras in the presence of family members and relatives. It takes hours long rituals as per Hindu tradition to complete wedding procedures. Arter completion of the ritual, family members of bride side along with other relative bid an emotional adieu to bride. Generally, no one can go against the rule and regulations stipulated by Hindu culture in the time of knoptial tie between bride and groom. As per Hindu vedic tradition marriage ceremony is necessary for ritual performance to foster cordial relation between the boys and girls in their life.

Time has changed, now a days wedding ceremony has been turned into shoey displays of wealth instead of ritual performance as before. Every members of societies in Nepal have condemned increasingly extravagant weddings that waste vast amount of food and other items and cause traffic chaos. Weddind ceremony which bound two heart, family is becoming vogue. Keeping this in mind, past government has brought Social Behaviour Reform Act 2033 to churb escalating expenditure in wedding procedures. To control over the lavish spending in social functions including marriages the then government precisely introduced the law. A provision made by the law indicates that a marriage procession must not exceed 51 people as a Janti and the gold to be offered to groom should not go beyond two tolas(around 20 grams) among other provision. This law is still in intact and no other act has been promolgated to replace it. The then government was for putting an end to the lavish style wedding system. No one follows the law. Kathmandu and its surroundings centric weddings are famous for their grand scale with multi course feasts, decorated modern vehicles, brass bands and huge tents arranged to entertain hundred or even thousands of guests. The showy fashion of the wealth from our society has hit hard to the poorest of the poor residing in the same society.

As such, the would be couples, political parties, media persons including ordinary people of the community must have to try their best to abolish lavish marriage by tend setting examples. Simple, sober and traditional wedding ceremony is the need of the hour of our society. But the trend being seen as extravagant wedding system should be discouraged to end commom man's burden some in time of marriage. Besides, the events are getting out of hand in the city, where professionals have reaped the benifit of the country's recent lavish wedding system.

Let us hope in the days to come the would be couples(brides and grooms) who recieve momentary gift at wedding function may donate to social works giving a blow to the increasing trend of organizing lavish marriages across the country. Besides, dowery system of the society should also be equally discouraged so as to relieve ever escaliting poverty and rampant corruption prevailed in our society. Lastly it goes without saying that one spends about hours or so at the function but getting there can take about 3 to 4 hours due to traffic congestion as construction materials are deposited blocking roads. In such situation wedding becomes worrying to guests fight for parking space. Such types of traffic jams and parking mess these mega functions cause can make it difficult to rush patients to hospitals. Some of the wedding is said to have cost more than 10 million that shocks poor to middle people of the society. Lavish wedding may be one of the attributing factor for corruption, povert and depression as such type of anomalies should be abolished from society.