A mayor of a small southern Mexico town got married to a female crocodile which stunned social media users. The mayor, Victor Hugo Sosa, tied the knot with the reptile under a centuries-old ritual to bring good harvest and peace between the Chontal and Huave Indigenous groups.
The video is doing rounds on the internet wherein the reptile is visible as a caiman, an alligator-like marsh dweller found in Mexico and Central America. During the ritual, Sosa said,
“I accept responsibility because we love each other. That is what is important. You can’t have a marriage without love… I yield to marriage with the princess girl.”
The reptile, which is a caiman, represents the “princess girl” in local lore.”
Watch the video below:
About the ritual
A man and a female caiman have been marrying for 230 years in the town to mark the day when two Indigenous groups declared peace with a marriage. According to folklore, a Chontal King married a princess girl of the Huave Indigenous group, represented by the female crocodile now. The wedding is conducted for the communities to connect with the earth and wish for rain for a good harvest, as Jaime Zarate, chronicler of San Pedro Huamelula, AFP reported.
Before the wedding ceremony, the female crocodile is taken to local houses for dancing. The ‘bride’ wears a wedding attire and its mouth is shut for safety. After the wedding, the mayor dances with the ‘bride’ and plants a kiss on the crocodile’s snout.