【在生活中學習語言】《中英對照讀新聞》Indian farmers fight bad monsoon with frog marriage印度農夫以蛙婚祈求季風雨
◎ 魏國金

Indian farmers are falling back on a local method to bring badly needed monsoon rains -- marrying off two frogs.

印度農夫求助一個地方性辦法，以期帶來亟需的季風雨︰讓兩隻蛙完婚。

Villagers in West Bengal state pooled their money together this week to marry Rama and Sita, two frogs named after India’s most revered mythological couple from the epic Ramayana.

西孟加拉邦的村民本週共同籌資，以便讓羅摩與息妲成婚，這兩隻青蛙是以印度羅摩耶那史詩中最受崇敬的神話眷侶為名。

Following an ancient Hindu belief, the frogs’ heads were smeared with vermilion paint and the pair were held up in the air in a ritual in front of a traditional clay candle.

依循古印度教信仰，這兩隻青蛙的頭部將塗上硃砂，然後在傳統陶燭前舉行的儀式中被高高舉起。

"We feted about 3,000 villagers and solemnized the marriage with every single ritual," Shobin Ray, head of a local council in Madhya Baragari village, told Reuters by phone.

「我們款待約3000名村人，並依照每一個儀式，隆重舉行這場婚禮。」馬德亞．巴拉加里村地方議會主席索賓．雷伊透過電話告訴路透說。

The women at the wedding fasted beforehand and then invited the river to join the ceremony and give its blessing, he said.

傳統婚禮中的女性事先齋戒，然後邀請河流加入喜慶、給予祝福，他表示。

India this year suffered its worst start to the monsoon rains in eight decades, causing drought in some states.

印度今年開始的季風雨，是80餘年來景況最惡劣的，並造成一些省份鬧旱災。

新聞辭典

fall back on︰片語，（在無其他辦法時的）依靠、求助於。例句︰The UAE could fall back on foreign assets to cut deficit.（阿拉伯聯合大公國可能依賴海外資產來刪減赤字。）

pool︰動詞，共同集結（資金、能力、構想等） 。例句︰The pooled their money to buy a van.（他們湊錢合買一部貨車。）

solemnize︰動詞，隆重慶祝（紀念）、為……舉行宗教儀式。例句︰The marriage was solemnized in the cathedral.（婚禮在大教堂內依據宗教儀式隆重舉行。）

自由時報-980729
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