Perhaps We Need To Hold A Frog Wedding To End This Drought

 Frog weddings are held in East Asian countries to bring an end to drought conditions.  We are in bad shape here in Texas.  I would be more than willing to host a wedding here at the pond.  Wouldn't that be fun?!

(The pictures here do not necessarily match the stories.  I lifted these pictures from the internet from other East Asian frog nuptials and apologize for any copyright infringements).

 
Video explaining the tradition with some beautiful footage:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO-NgYU6ldA

 

From an article in Earthweek, July 2, 2010

"Religious leaders in India’s holy city of Varanasi have attempted to jump-start the delayed monsoon season by resorting to the mythical marriage of frogs in a desperate attempt to please the rain gods.

“This is an age-old tradition that if frogs are wedded, then Indra Dev will be pleased and monsoon will come,” organizer Munna Lal Yadav told reporters.

During one of several such marriages conducted across India’s oldest city, a priest officiated the Batrachian nuptials to the chanting of hymns from the Hindu scriptures.

Vermilion was also applied to the forehead of the female frog. Temperatures continued to soar to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit with no rain during the first few days of amphibious bliss.

But rain chances had increased to 40 percent within a week's time, according to meteorologists."

From a 2009 Article in Thandian News:

 Frogs married in drought-hit Jharkhand to please rain god

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Ranchi, July 23 (IANS) Beautiful invitation cards, a feast for nearly 500 guests, a car for the groom and chanting of Sanskrit verses — although all the usual customs were observed, this was an Indian wedding with a difference. Those tying the knot at the special event in Jharkhand’s Chatra district were frogs.
Desperate residents of Simeria block in the drought-hit district, about 190 km from here, organised a wedding of frogs Wednesday to appease the rain gods.

“We believe that the rain god is appeased by the marriage of frogs. Now that the ceremony has been performed, we hope that the district, which has been facing droughts for the last four years, will get good rainfall,” said Vinod Bihari, a priest who conducted the marriage ceremony.

Seva Ram, a farmer, “adopted” the female frog and performed the ritual of ‘kanyadan’.
“I will keep both frogs in my house. It is my duty to feed them as I did the kanyadan of the female frog. We hope the marriage will end our woes,” he said.  After the wedding, sweets were distributed, people blessed the newly-wed couple and prayed to god for rainfall.

Jharkhand has declared four districts — Chatra, Palamau, Lathear and Garwah — drought hit.
The affected districts have received rainfall of less than 100 mm so far this monsoon. As a result, the paddy crop has been badly hit.