Women in the town of San Jacinto Amilpas in Mexico are marrying trees. This pledge of devotion to trees is an act of environmentalism protest urging the prevention of illegal logging in the said town, according to the brides.
Andrea Tanant, one of the brides , said that she described it as a fascinating fact, in which the commitment they have not only with this tree but with all nature and how much they have already damaged this. This is the reason why she decided to see the ritual and commit herself. Another bride said that her wedding was a formal protest in favor of the trees, as noted by PJ Media .
According to Metro , the marriage was not legally binding. It aims to draw attention to illegal logging in San Jacinto Amilpas, Oaxaca state, which has been stuck by deforestation. Reports indicate that criminal groups are operating illegal logging to the forest, which is about a third of the land of Mexico.
Oaxaca is one of the five states that has been miscued by deforestation. The participants of the tree marriage campaign and hope to raise awareness of the deforestation problem in their town and other states.
The “marry a tree” ritual is established by the organization “Bedani” to give gratitude to Mother Nature. On the other hand, it has become a symbolic wedding, in which the Inca people wed trees. Richard Torres, a Peruvian actor and environmentalist, conducted the wedding rite. He delivered a message between the brides and the trees indicating respect to trees and stopping illegal logging.
Mexican women marry trees out of love in mass wedding https://t.co/zXg9HhhtuM
— The News (@thenews_intl) February 28, 2018
You will see the brides kissing the bark of the trees or their grooms. They also hugged them. Another surprising thing was that the wedding did not apply only to brides. It is reported that one groom furnished with a veil tied a knot with a tree too.
Time to tie the knot! Mexican women marry… trees pic.twitter.com/QxTrVUIm3N
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) February 26, 2018
Meanwhile, tree marriage also once occurred in India. The nuptial ceremony took place in, on or around a tree or a sanctified bark or sap. It was more of a religious system or cult, in which the members involved believed that trees have sacred power to heal or enhance fertility. They also thought that trees have the souls of their ancestors or the unborn, according to Britannica .