/ 4 January 2011

‘Magic pythons’ married in Cambodia for luck

Hundreds of villagers in Cambodia have flocked to a wedding ceremony between a 4,8m and 90kg female python and her slightly smaller snake mate.

Fortunetellers believe the pythons are magic snakes that bring prosperity and peace to the village.

The two-hour ceremony on Monday ended with two Buddhist monks blessing the snake couple as villagers showered them with flowers and wedding music played.

Almost all Cambodians are Buddhists, majority of which also subscribe to animism — a belief that spirits can inhabit all sorts of living and inanimate objects. Whenever an odd animal makes an appearance, it is cause for the superstitious to celebrate. — Sapa-AP