Monday, January 03, 2011

'Magic pythons' married in Cambodia to bring luck

Male pythons Krong Pich, top, and female python Chamroeun, bottom, lie in a cage after their wedding ceremony at Svay Rolum village, Kandal province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian Monday organized the weird wedding ceremony to a pair of what they believed a magic pythons to ask for prosperity and safety. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (Heng Sinith - AP)
Cambodian boys look at a head of male python, Krong Pich, in a cage after its wedding ceremony at Svay Rolum village, Kandal province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian Monday organized the weird wedding ceremony to a pair of what they believed a magic pythons to ask for prosperity and safety. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (Heng Sinith - AP)
A relative to pythons owner, center, ties the holly red ribbon to a villager after python's wedding ceremony at Svay Rolum village, Kandal province, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian Monday organized the weird wedding ceremony to a pair of what they believed a magic pythons to ask for prosperity and safety. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (Heng Sinith - AP)
Monday, January 3, 2011
By SOPHENG CHEANG
The Associated Press

SVAY ROLUM, Cambodia -- Hundreds of villagers flocked to a wedding ceremony Monday between a 16-foot (4.8-meter), 200-pound (90-kilogram) female python and her slightly smaller mate - both believed to be magic snakes that bring prosperity and peace.

The two-hour ceremony in Svay Rolum village, 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the capital Phnom Penh, ended with two Buddhist monks blessing the pair and villagers showering them with flowers as wedding music played.


Most Cambodians, almost all Buddhists, also subscribe to animism - a belief that spirits can inhabit all sorts of living and inanimate objects. Whenever an odd animal makes an appearance, it is cause for the superstitious to celebrate.

"We married these pythons to ask for health and prosperity in our village," said 41-year-old Neth Vy, owner of female python named Chamrouen.

"We were told (by fortunetellers) that the two pythons are husband and wife and they need to live together, and if we don't marry them we will meet bad luck," said Neth Vy, who found the then-tiny python while fishing 16 years ago.

He said since the snake became part of the household, the family's living conditions had steadily improved and no misfortune had befallen them.

The male python, named Kroung Pich, was caught 12 days ago by Hin Mao, a 44-year-old, childless woman who said she regarded it as her son.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

These people are crazy, no wonder Hun San is in power for so long. Sorry for the animals.

Anonymous said...

ended with two Buddhist monks blessing the pair and villagers showering them with flowers as wedding music played. (SICK!!!!)

Let educated the monk , TEP VONG!

Anonymous said...

Stupid Khmers still believe anything that is not true, that is why their lands shrink and become smaller and smaller.

Anonymous said...

This is a crazy superstition. These people are stuborn.

Anonymous said...

12:11

I'm Khmer, but I agree with you on this one.

Anonymous said...

SO much money don't know what to do so might as well give snakes wedding. Going to be more pythons in the village. I hate snake!

Anonymous said...

superstition! i study psychology to understand that this kind of regional or local belief is ok because it is good for the spiritual-well being. plus, it makes the world more colorful and diverse, etc... just leave beliefs separate from gov't, though! i think people's belief should be personal and leave it at that! that's all! hey, they say old habit dies hard. so true in some part of the world, you know! it's no exception in areas of cambodia as well, really! this is what makes the world goes around and round!

Anonymous said...

scene and belief like this in cambodia should make its way to the discovery channel in america called "taboo" or culture and belief book. it's interesting to watch and read about it. please tell the tv documentary producer to come to cambodia to film such taboo or indigenous belief in cambodia. cambodia has people who believed in superstition and taboo like this, you know! it'll add the collection the discovery channel programming, etc... really!

Anonymous said...

When the westerner see this , they lought because this is so stupid believe. That is why the Viet every where they don't know, they know only cry when they loose the their houses or poor...

Anonymous said...

These people carry CPP voter registration cards and have loyally voted CPP for all their lives...

CPP knows this, SRP knows this, Yuons know this, Preah Moha Ksatra knows this, the US knows this, and China knows this....

The quality of Cambodia's democracy and the legitimacy of 'election wins' so far had always been based on the fact that these poor, illiterate people do not know any better than to be fearful and appreciative of the meager gesture from their exploiters.

Anonymous said...

iT IS NOT cAMBODIAN BELEIVE, iS COME FROM A STUPID PERSON!

Anonymous said...

Agree with everyone above.
No need to say more.... This is how Cambodian nowaday..

Anonymous said...

It from Somrainsy want to do it,because they don't know to say against of CCP government !

Anonymous said...

It was so strange to
all people,but it usual for some believers in Cambodia.
Some old Khmer stories told that there was a big snake
got married with a king daughter.The big snake called Poh Kengkong having a human woman.
Believe it or not?
It was a storyteller.

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy encourage this type of superstition. DAMN YOU Sam Rainsy -When will you stop?

Anonymous said...

Stupid it your clans call CPP stupid mother fuckers that fucking why Youn control your dumbest heads. Cause your so stupid if your regimes fucken smarts they won't let ah Vietcong control your stupid heads over 30 years asshole thinks about it don't be insane ah pler choymaray CPP mother fuckens.

Anonymous said...

Their skins would make two nice pairs of cowboy boots. Would $200 enough for them both?

Anonymous said...

I bet this is the trickery of the Vietnamese. These snakes been trained by the Vietnamese spirit to multiply to 10 million snakes in the next 5 years. And at a set time, each snake will squeeze the life out of one Cambodian and the Vietnamese will enter the land by multitude in the guise of stopping the carnage by killing off the snakes. After that is all finished they will say, " we saved the Cambodians people again" and reason within themselves, "I think we deserve to live in their land, after all, we saved them from annihilation from the snakes".