Bangles and Newar marriages

This month is the fourth Nepali month, Shrawan. Many festivals, religious and cultural, happen during this month. After all, the monsoon is in its fullest, and every where is just very green.

One thing Nepali women do is wear green glass bangles and have Mehndi (similar to henna) on their hands. At first I was told that it is to honor a particular Hindu God. Next, someone told me that people wear it for good luck in general: good job, good marriage, good friendship. When I visited the Terai, I was told that it is solely for marriage. Unmarried girls wear them in hopes of getting a good husband, while married women wear them to honor their husbands.

Being the little unmarried girl, I bought some to wear as well. Well, it doesn't harm to have a good husband in the future, does it? :P

Today, I learned though, that in Newar culture, unmarried girls do not wear glass bangles. Only married women do that. But why are there so many unmarried Newar girls who wear green glass bangles?

They are not married. In fact, almost all Newari girls above the age of 7 are married. Before menstruation, around the age of 7, Newari girls are married in a group to the bel (wooden apple) fruit. There's a saying that whoever who gets the biggest bel will get the tallest manhusband in the future.

Next, after the first menstruation, girls are placed in a dark room for 12 days, where they cannot come out in daylight nor see any males, not even their fathers and brothers. Their (female) playmates are allowed to visit them, and there's lots of girly time and dancing going on. After 12 days, the girls come out from the room, and are married to the sun.

Eventually, these girls grow up and marry their manhusbands. But before marrying a man, they have been married twice. And hence that's why they can wear green bangles and have thikas that signify that they are married, because, well, they are!