February 21, 2011
Bangkok (AFP) - Hundreds of Cambodians celebrated a surprising wedding ceremony for pythons which they believed would help bring good luck and harmony to their villages.
Villagers gathered in Kandal province to mark the wedding of their pet pythons designed to avoid illness and disease and to bring good luck and happiness for the villagers.
The Pythonidae which is also known as python refers to non-venomous snakes found in Australia, Asia as well as Africa, according to wikipedia website. Twenty six species of them are now recognized.
Pythons are also found in India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, China and New Guinea.
Burmese pythons were found in the United States and have long been in the Everglades National Park since the late 1990s.
Most of pythons are ambush predators and are camouflaged in their motionless position. They will not attack humans unless provoked.
However, attacks on human beings were common in South and Southeast Asia.
Being the capital of Ta Khmao town, Kandal is a province in Cambodia excluding Phnom Penh. It is 20 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.
It is the place where Rithy Panh's "The Rice People" film was shot, according to wikipedia website.
