国家地理:Child Marriage 印度童婚

Wedding season in North India is a popular time to break the law. Child marriage is a union outlawed¹ by the state and it's about to seal the fates of four youngsters. The Panjiya family plans to marry off two daughters. Thirteen-year-old Bendu and her eleven-year-old sister Cindy are marrying boys from the neighborhood. In this village, the girls are at the perfect age. This is a very common age for marriage in this village. Our neighbors have children of the same age who are getting married. Children at an even younger age are getting married.

In India, the law says girls must wait until they are 18 to marry; boys must be 21. Even so, each year at least 50,000 Indian children get married.

In cities, government rules the plight², whereas in villages it's what the elders think that rules. Here it's the tradition that matters.

The women have the kitchen fires burning. Despite the family's moderate means, they expect 500 guests. There is much to do if you are the family of the bride, little to do if you are the bride.

Did you want to get married now?

Yes, we did. All my friends are married, hers too.

In India, finding a good family to marry into is like locating a good school. Parents start early and look long and hard. This search ended close to home, the grooms³ Rohit and Cenju live nearby. In matters of marriage, they think alike.

Marriage to me is that you stay together and you look after each other and you look after the house.
I think the same thing.

Children here accept these arrangements. Indian culture encourages arranged marriages and no outside force is likely to change that. As night approaches, the excitement builds. The brides receive lavish⁴ attention, in a dressing⁵ ritual both ancient and elaborate. Down the street, the dancers take three hours to cover the 400 yards between the grooms' and brides' houses. It's midnight by the time the entourage arrives. After waiting so long, the girls are exhausted⁶. Bendu loses her composure. But there is no time to console the bride; she is led sobbing⁷ to the outer. Finally, the ceremony begins; short lives and long preparations have led to this moment and to ties meant to last a lifetime.

Cultures that base marriages on romantic love may have difficulty accepting these unions. Here, marriage precedes love which the children will have to achieve in their own way. The red powder seals the marriage; the girls will wear it daily as a public symbol of their vows⁸. For now, they are off to bed but not together, at least until they are older.

Tonight's celebration is for the guests only. Though he had no say in his choice of bride, Roju admits his marriage has succeeded.

After you get married, there is bound to be love, gradually in time, you develop a sense of belonging about each other, particularly after children are born. It feels that this is better than the lives we had earlier, I do feel that this is better than the life I had before.

The newly-weds won't live together until the brides are at least 16. That leaves them a few years of childhood. And after the rigors⁹ of a three-day wedding, all four can go back to being children for a while longer.

1 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

2 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

3 grooms   

n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• Plender end Wilcox became joint grooms of the chambers. 普伦德和威尔科克斯成为共同的贴身侍从。 来自辞典例句
• Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. 埃及：在埃及，由新郎的家人，而不是新郎本人，向新娘求婚。 来自互联网

4 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

5 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

6 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

7 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

8 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

9 rigors   

严格( rigor的名词复数 )； 严酷； 严密； （由惊吓或中毒等导致的身体）僵直

参考例句：

• The rigors of that lonely land need no further description. 生活在那个穷乡僻壤的困苦是无庸赘言的。
• You aren't ready for the rigors of industry. 你不适合干工业的艰苦工作了。