Beed, March 3 While much of India celebrated Holi with vibrant colors and playful splashes of water, the residents of Vida village in the Beed district of Maharashtra upheld a 90-year-old tradition – a ceremonial ride on a donkey for a son-in-law.
This unique custom begins days before the festival with what locals fondly call a "son-in-law hunt." This year, the "honor" fell to Shivaji Galphade, originally from Dongaon in the Kaij tehsil, who settled in Vida after his marriage.
"The tradition dates back nearly nine decades and was started by a villager named Anantrao Deshmukh. What began as a light-hearted prank, parading his own son-in-law on a donkey, gradually evolved into an eagerly anticipated annual ritual embraced by the entire village," a resident said.
According to villagers, a week before Holi, groups of village youths form search teams to identify eligible sons-in-law residing in or visiting Vida.
Once selected, the chosen one is kept under friendly watch to ensure he doesn't escape before the big day.
On the morning of Holi or Dhulivandan, amid drumbeats and showers of color, the son-in-law is ceremoniously seated on a donkey. Wearing a garland made of old footwear, he is paraded through the village lanes as residents cheer and celebrate.
Despite the satirical nature of the ride, the tradition is rooted in communal bonding rather than malice.
Before the procession commenced on Tuesday, participants paid tribute to a portrait of the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
The donkey ride is followed by a formal ceremony of honor. Traditionally, the village presents the son-in-law with a new set of clothes, a saree, and a gold ring. However, due to the recent surge in gold prices, the village committee decided to stick to traditional attire as a gift this year, a villager added.
"I never imagined I would be chosen for the donkey ride this year," said Galphade, who works as a daily wage labourer.
This is a local tradition which I accepted in the spirit of the festival, he said.