Silent but tall grooms: Women in Mexico ‘marry’ trees to save them

MEXICO: Women in Mexico have decided to shun men and marry trees instead.

The grooms are great things for the planet and are renowned for their woods.

Photos from the mass ceremony in Mexico show brides dressed in white hug and kiss their beloved trunks as they pledge their devotion forever.

There was even a bouquet to throw – though presumably one of the humans caught it, rather than a guest from the trees’ side of the family.

The wedding was designed to draw attention to the problem of illegal logging in San Jacinto Amilpas, Oaxaca state. Around a third of Mexico’s land area is covered by forest, and there is a widespread problem with illegal logging, mostly controlled by criminal groups.

Oaxaca is one of the five states worst hit by deforestation, and by the ‘marriage’ stunt campaigners hope to raise the profile of attempts to protect woodland.

‘Marry a tree’ began as a ritual of giving thanks to Mother Earth carried out by the organization ‘Bedani’, and later gave way to a symbolic wedding based on Inca customs where women and men ‘marry’ trees in a rite led by Peruvian actor and environmentalist Richard Torres.