Mexican mayor marries alligator in centuries-old ritual, seals union with kiss [PHOTOS, VIDEO]

Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa married an alligator wearing a wedding dress to pray for abundance in the village of San Pedro Huamelula in southwestern Mexico.
Mexican mayor marries alligator

Mexican mayor marries alligator

Photo : REUTERS
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Mexican mayor Victor Hugo Sosa married an alligator named Little Princess in a centuries-old ritual
  • Little Princess' snout was tied shut to avoid unwanted biting as the mayor kissed it multiple times throughout the ceremony
  • The seven-year-old reptile is thought to be a deity representing Mother Earth
A Mexican mayor has married an alligator in a centuries-old ritual.
Mayor Victor Hugo Sosa married the alligator wearing a wedding dress to pray for abundance in the village of San Pedro Huamelula in southwestern Mexico.
The seven-year-old reptile is known as the Little Princess and is thought to be a deity representing Mother Earth.
The union which was sealed with a kiss symbolised the joining of humans with the divine for the locals.
The wedding ceremony had traditional music with trumpets and drums and dancing revellers.
Mexican mayor marries alligator
Mexican mayor marries alligator
Photo : REUTERS
As the mayor carried the alligator bride in his arms through the streets, men fanned it with their hats.
Elia Edith Aguilar, known as the godmother who organised the wedding, told Reuters, "It gives me so much happiness and makes me proud of my roots. It's a very beautiful tradition."
Little Princess' snout was tied shut to avoid unwanted biting as the mayor kissed it multiple times throughout the ceremony.
It is said that the ritual of the bizarre marriage dates back centuries, to pre-Hispanic times, among Oaxaca state's Chontal and Huave indigenous communities.
Mayor Sosa said, "We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river."
San Pedro Huamelula is a small fishing village on Oaxaca's Pacific coast.
End of Article