Posted on 03/22/2005 6:04:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
Kaleidoscope with Tran Dinh Thanh Lam
‘Til death do us part
Everyone needs company, even an elephant. Ban Don, a village of ethnic minorities in Dac Lac Province famous for elephant taming, knows this all too well.
Each year, the village organises marriages for elephants who have come of age. This year, two young elephants who work for a tourist company tied the knot before hundreds of well-wishers.
H’Bay, a young female elephant who works at Ban Don Tourist Company, and her colleague Kham, a young male elephant, reportedly fell in love with one another, the villagers say.
Villagers sent the two to the jungle for a temporary visit, where they consummated their love. Upon returning to the village, local residents decided to officially wed the young lovers.
First, they were given a fresh bath with clean water. Then a marriage altar was set up in front of the nha rong (ethnic communal house), where the elephants’ owners sat to witness the wedding.
A Nhan, the village sorcerer, prayed to the spirits to assist them, congratulated the newly-weds and their owners, and offered blessings for their future offspring. Guests were then invited to take food and drink ruou can (wine drunk through slender bamboo straws from a big communal jar).
Before returning to the jungle for a honeymoon, the newly married elephants ate banana and sugarcane. The mother, villagers say, is expected to deliver in 30 months if the baby is female, and in 36 months if a male.
But at least they have to be the same species. A cat cannot marry a dog. Yet.
Do you think she'll want to get in on the action?
Whether I could satisfy her, I dunno...
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