Photo Credit: AFP/Prakash Mathema
Yesterday Nepal anointed a 3-year-old girl, Matani Shakya, a "kumari" or living goddess. The deal is that Matani must now leave her parents and go and live in virtual isolation in a Katmandu temple until she menstruates, at which point she loses her divine status and is replaced by another living goddess.
To become a kumari is tricky. A panel of judges evaluates 2-4-year-olds,, and according to this AP article the process is as follows:
The judges read the candidates' horoscopes and check each one for physical imperfections. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark.
As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear.
Then, as if being worshiped in isolation during your childhood isn't bad enough, kumaris often spend their later lives in further isolation, since many Nepalese believe that men who marry kumaris will die young.
There are human rights activists protesting this sort of thing but there are also those who think kumaris are well-treated and have a better life than they would otherwise, given that they come from an impoverished caste. Of course I have my own instinctive and appalled mommy reactions to a story of this sort, but there are those who would argue that the likes of Crabmommy can't understand or evaluate this story, since it's outside my culture and therefore beyond my frame of reference. You can say that again. Especially the part about the decapitated goats at the sleepover.
Thoughts, anyone?
p.s. Did anyone catch last week's showing of My Fake Baby on BBC America--about "Reborns," those baby dolls so lifelike nobody can tell they aren't real? Creepy!
Read more about controversial children's issues like the
circumcision and
vaccination debates.
More from Cookie:
- Halloween Essentials
From craft projects to party ideas, everything you need for a spooky good time - Confessions of a
Mommyblogger
Are blogging moms writing an Internet love letter to their kids, or just violating their children's privacy? - Cookie's All-purpose Gift
Guides
New mom? Birthday? Find the perfect present for everyone you know. - Subscribe to Cookie for Just $1 an issue - Get an Exclusive Red Striped Tote Free!
