Before Newar girls reach puberty they are married to the fruit of wood-apple tree called Bel. It is performed at the girl’s odd age like 5, 7, 9. Ihi is a two-day ceremony commencing with purification rituals and ending with “Kanyadan” of the girl by her father meaning “giving away the virgin”. This Kanyadan ceremony performed in Non-Newar Hindu marriage. So Ihi could actually be taken as the first marriage of the Newar girls except for that they are married to an icon of Suvarna Kumar, the immortal God.
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