奇闻：两只蟾蜍隆重结婚_报刊文摘
khochakandar, india (reuters) - two giants toads were married in a traditional hindu ceremony in eastern india at the weekend by villagers hoping to propitiate the rain gods and end a dry spell.
some 400 people cheered and blew conches as women put streaks of vermilion on the female toad’s head while a band played music and priests solemnised the marriage to the chanting of hindu hymns.
the toads were picked up from separate ponds, dressed in bright red clothes and brought to the marriage venue in a decorated palanquin in khochakandar village in west bengal state late on sunday. the married toads were released into a pond after the ceremony in the village about 365 km (225 miles) north of the state capital, calcutta.
"our forefathers used to organise marriages of toads to get sufficient rain for cultivation. we hope rain will be coming very soon," said konica mandal, one of the organisers of the wedding.
the village has been reeling under a severe heat wave with temperatures touching 44 degrees celsius, drying up ponds and creating problems for farmers and their crops. the southwest monsoon hit india’s southern coast on sunday, about four days later than normal, but it will be some time before the rains wind their way to the rest of the country. a heat wave sweeping india, bangladesh and nepal has killed nearly 100 people over the past two weeks.
辅助阅读：
在过去的两周，印度、孟加拉、尼泊尔等国一直为热浪所包围。上周末，印度东部某村子的村民在其传统仪式上为两只蟾蜍举行了婚礼，以祈求雨神结束其干旱的咒语。
人们从两个不同的池塘找来蟾蜍，为其穿上鲜艳的红色衣服，将其带到举行结婚仪式的地点，仪式结束后再将蟾蜍在加尔各答北部约365千米的村子放生。该结婚仪式的组织者说，这是其祖先祈求足够的降水供耕作之用的惯常做法。
some 400 people cheered and blew conches as women put streaks of vermilion on the female toad’s head while a band played music and priests solemnised the marriage to the chanting of hindu hymns.
the toads were picked up from separate ponds, dressed in bright red clothes and brought to the marriage venue in a decorated palanquin in khochakandar village in west bengal state late on sunday. the married toads were released into a pond after the ceremony in the village about 365 km (225 miles) north of the state capital, calcutta.
"our forefathers used to organise marriages of toads to get sufficient rain for cultivation. we hope rain will be coming very soon," said konica mandal, one of the organisers of the wedding.
the village has been reeling under a severe heat wave with temperatures touching 44 degrees celsius, drying up ponds and creating problems for farmers and their crops. the southwest monsoon hit india’s southern coast on sunday, about four days later than normal, but it will be some time before the rains wind their way to the rest of the country. a heat wave sweeping india, bangladesh and nepal has killed nearly 100 people over the past two weeks.
辅助阅读：
在过去的两周，印度、孟加拉、尼泊尔等国一直为热浪所包围。上周末，印度东部某村子的村民在其传统仪式上为两只蟾蜍举行了婚礼，以祈求雨神结束其干旱的咒语。
人们从两个不同的池塘找来蟾蜍，为其穿上鲜艳的红色衣服，将其带到举行结婚仪式的地点，仪式结束后再将蟾蜍在加尔各答北部约365千米的村子放生。该结婚仪式的组织者说，这是其祖先祈求足够的降水供耕作之用的惯常做法。