The tradition of giving birth before marriage!

KATHMANDU: TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 – In Nepali society, having children before marriage is not considered good. Having children in this way is considered as a social stigma. But there is a place in the world where there is a tradition of having children before marriage. And it is considered auspicious to do so.

The tradition of giving birth to children before marriage is found in Sirohi and Pali in Rajasthan, India. Here it is legal to have children before marriage. Also, a child born before marriage is considered auspicious. Not only that, not being able to have children before marriage is considered an omen.

This tradition has been going on for over a thousand years among the Garasia tribes living in Sirohi and Pali in Udayapur of Rajasthan. This tradition is the oldest form of live-in relationship seen in the world in recent years. There is a tradition of Garasia tribes men living in a voluntary live-in relationship and marrying each other only after the child is born.

A special two-day wedding fair is held in Garasia tribe. In this fair, boys and girls like each other and start living together without getting married. In addition, they marry as soon as they have children. In this tribe, both boys and girls are free to choose a mate.

According to the Garasia tribe, four brothers from the tribe moved elsewhere many years ago. Where 3 people got married and only one lived in a live-in without marriage. But only who had lived in the live-in had children, not others. Therefore, from that time onwards, there was a tradition of giving birth to children before marriage. This tradition is called local ‘dapa practice’.