Twitter Reacts to Chattisgarh Priests Walking on Women’s Backs

Flouting social distancing rules, 200 women participated in this practice.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint/Twitter)

On 21 November, an annual congregation called ‘Madhai Mela’ or Madahai Fair took place in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The tradition involves 200 female devotees lying down on the ground with priests walking over them. According to the myth associated with this practice, it increases the chances of the women conceiving a baby boy.

This 500-year old tradition is held every year on the first Friday after Diwali and is a way of offering worship to Goddess Angaarmoti. This particular incident that took place in Dhamtari district in Chattisgarh and the video has since then gone viral.

A lot of people on Twitter found this practice to be oppressive and majorly lacking any scientific explanation. Apart from that, the gathering was also criticized for violating social distancing rules since none of the attendees were seen wearing masks or taking any other precautions. Here is how some people on Twitter reacted to this event: