Sattahip Mayor Phawat
Lertmukda presides over a mock engagement ceremony for 4-year-old
fraternal twins Mongkolsiri and Sirimongkol Tangtrongcharoen.
Patcharapol Panrak
Call them old fashioned or just superstitious, but a Naklua
couple had their 4-year-old fraternal twins engaged to be married to
ward off bad luck.
Virithpol and Mukdachanok Tangtrongcharoen arranged a lavish engagement
ceremony at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden Feb. 14 for little Mongkolsiri
Tangtrongcharoen and his sister Sirimongkol. The boy was given a dowry
of 10 million baht in cash, land and gold to present to his tiny
bride-to-be.
Sattahip Mayor Phawat Lertmukda and Nong Nooch General Manager
Phanthanant Khantisuk bore witness at the ceremony in the park’s
heart-shaped garden.
Born Feb. 9, 2009, the twins are fraternal, but look similar and are
inseparable, mother Mukdachanok said. She believes that, in a past life,
they were lovers.
She adheres to the ancient belief that bad luck follows fraternal twins
throughout their lives. To ward off the evil spirits, the engagement was
arranged and the gods paid off with the handsome dowry of 2,999,9999
baht, three land titles and 40 gold bars.
It is important to note that this ceremony is part of an old wives’
tale, and that the two toddlers will never actually marry each other.
