People have been known to marry dogs, trees, insects, etc. In Nepal, marrying with the Sun is unbelievable in this part of the world. It might puzzle you to think about how it is possible to marry a raging fire.
It is a traditional ritual for a Newari girl to marry the Sun. Newari is one of the ethnic groups in Nepal. Their language, lifestyle, culture, tradition, and rituals differ totally from other ethnic groups. For about a thousand years, the Newar civilization in Central Nepal preserved a microcosm of classical North Indian culture in which Brahmanic and Buddhist elements enjoyed equal status.
Snellgrove and Richardson (1968) speak of ‘the direct heritage of pre-Islamic India’. The Malla dynasty was noted for their patronization of the Maithili language (the language of the Mithila region) which was afforded equal status to that of Sanskrit in the Malla court. Maithil Brahmin priests were invited to Kathmandu, and many Maithil families settled in Kathmandu during Malla rule.
Because of the influx of people from both north (Tibet) and south (Bihar) who brought with them not only their genetic and racial diversity but also molded the dominant culture and tradition of Newars. The distinct divisions of Newars had different historical developments. The common identity of Newar was formed in the Kathmandu Valley.
Until the conquest of the valley by the Gorkha Kingdom in 1769, all the people who had inhabited the valley at any point in time were either Newar or progenitors of Newar. So, the history of Newar correlates to the history of the Kathmandu Valley (or Nepala Mandala) prior to the establishment of the modern state of Nepal.
One of their unique traditional rituals is “Gufa” when a girl of age between 12-14 years old has to stay in a dark room for twelve days before menstruation. Gufa is also known as” Surya Darshan”, a marriage with Sun on the 12th day. This traditional ritual has its own significance, and it is performed by different families in different ways.
It is believed that the girl is protected by the Sun from the bad people and the evils after the marriage. It is hard and risky for the girls to spend twelve days in a dark room to complete this ritual. The primary purpose of this ritual is for protecting girls as it is believed that the sun will protect the girl from bad people.
The darkroom signifies the Gufa tradition. Gufa is set in one darkroom of the house. This traditional ritual is only for the girls of age between 12-14years, who are kept in a dark room for twelve days in February and March. During this ritual, the grandmother performs a major role. She first worships God Ganesh and the Sun.
Then she gives wheat seeds and rice grains to the girl which the girl throws backward three times. ”Sindoor”, red color is put on the forehead of the girl and her marital uncle puts oil on her hair.
After this, the girl is considered as a wife of the Sun. Gufa also has negative aspects that mean it is very risky. While performing this ritual, most of the girls get sick and even die. If the girl dies during this period then she is buried in the same room.
