The Mayor of a small village in Mexico married an alligator in what has been hailed a "very beautiful tradition".
Victor Hugo Sosa, Mayor of San Pedro Huamelula in Oaxaca, tied the knot with a reptile clad in a wedding dress in a colourful ceremony last Thursday, June 30.
The jaw of the reptile was tied together to avoid any calamities during the wedding.
Man marries alligator dressed in white wedding gown and kisses it in front of guests
After their nuptials, Sosa sealed their union with a kiss on the reptile's face.
Man marries alligator dressed in white wedding gown and kisses it in front of guests
The alligator was then paraded through the village, carried by locals as men lined the streets to fan the newly-wed with their hats.
Man marries alligator dressed in white wedding gown and kisses it in front of guests
It is thought that the bizarre marriage dates back centuries and is a tradition of Oaxaca state's Chontal and Huave indigenous communities.
The ceremony is linked to nature and good harvests.
"We ask nature for enough rain, for enough food, that we have fish in the river," said Sosa.
Man marries alligator dressed in white wedding gown and kisses it in front of guests
The seven-year-old reptile is believed to be a deity representing mother Earth. Her marriage to a local leader is meant to symbolise the unity between humans and the divine.
She was dubbed "little princess" by wedding guests.
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