国家地理:Child Marriage 印度童婚

Wedding season in North India is a popular time to break the law. Child marriage is a union outlawed 1 by the state and it's about to seal the fates of four youngsters. The Panjiya family plans to marry off two daughters. Thirteen-year-old Bendu and her eleven-year-old sister Cindy are marrying boys from the neighborhood. In this village, the girls are at the perfect age. This is a very common age for marriage in this village. Our neighbors have children of the same age who are getting married. Children at an even younger age are getting married.

In India, the law says girls must wait until they are 18 to marry; boys must be 21. Even so, each year at least 50,000 Indian children get married.

In cities, government rules the plight 2, whereas in villages it's what the elders think that rules. Here it's the tradition that matters.

The women have the kitchen fires burning. Despite the family's moderate means, they expect 500 guests. There is much to do if you are the family of the bride, little to do if you are the bride.

Did you want to get married now?

Yes, we did. All my friends are married, hers too.

In India, finding a good family to marry into is like locating a good school. Parents start early and look long and hard. This search ended close to home, the grooms 3 Rohit and Cenju live nearby. In matters of marriage, they think alike.

Marriage to me is that you stay together and you look after each other and you look after the house.
I think the same thing.

Children here accept these arrangements. Indian culture encourages arranged marriages and no outside force is likely to change that. As night approaches, the excitement builds. The brides receive lavish 4 attention, in a dressing 5 ritual both ancient and elaborate. Down the street, the dancers take three hours to cover the 400 yards between the grooms' and brides' houses. It's midnight by the time the entourage arrives. After waiting so long, the girls are exhausted 6. Bendu loses her composure. But there is no time to console the bride; she is led sobbing 7 to the outer. Finally, the ceremony begins; short lives and long preparations have led to this moment and to ties meant to last a lifetime.

Cultures that base marriages on romantic love may have difficulty accepting these unions. Here, marriage precedes love which the children will have to achieve in their own way. The red powder seals the marriage; the girls will wear it daily as a public symbol of their vows 8. For now, they are off to bed but not together, at least until they are older.

Tonight's celebration is for the guests only. Though he had no say in his choice of bride, Roju admits his marriage has succeeded.

After you get married, there is bound to be love, gradually in time, you develop a sense of belonging about each other, particularly after children are born. It feels that this is better than the lives we had earlier, I do feel that this is better than the life I had before.

The newly-weds won't live together until the brides are at least 16. That leaves them a few years of childhood. And after the rigors 9 of a three-day wedding, all four can go back to being children for a while longer.