nPostednon January 9, 2014
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nBeforenI say one word about this fascinating holiday, I have to warn you—Indon’t know if it is being held on January 9, 2014. Or in January 2014nat all, on any day!
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nItnmight be in March this year! Or September!
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nIndid a lot of research, and I saw plenty of evidence that thisnceremony has happened in January, August, July, and November ofnvarious years – but I have not been able to turn up a single tinynindication of when the next one will be. Not even from hotels usingnthe ceremony as a lure, on their website. Plenty of “come see thisnamazing sight”—no clue as to when you might be able to see it!
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nThatnsaid, I still wanted to let you in on this mind-boggling custom.
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Okay,nfirst of all, Hindu people called Tenggeresenclimbnto the top of Mt. Bromo, in East Java. This is an active (andntherefore dangerous) volcano!
Okay,nfirst of all, Hindu people called Tenggeresenclimbnto the top of Mt. Bromo, in East Java. This is an active (andntherefore dangerous) volcano! n
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nOn the morning of Yadnya Kasada, theyngather around the crater and throw sacrifices of flowers, fruits,nother harvested foods, and even (yikes!) farm animals into thencaldera!
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n Itnis an ancient tradition based on a legend; it’s believed to benimportant to make annual sacrifices to the mountain gods as a thanknyou for the good harvest, good weather, and general good luck of thenpast year—and to ask for the gods’ help for the next year.
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nNow,nI don’t know if people really believe that, these days, or if theynjust enjoy carrying out this custom. But the really odd thing aboutnthe festival is this:
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Therenare a lot of people who have braved the dangers of being INSIDE thencaldera of an active volcano and are waiting with nets to catch thenthings thrown inside! It is believed that taking such a risk andncatching food and flowers and maybe a chicken or two brings you goodnluck.
Therenare a lot of people who have braved the dangers of being INSIDE thencaldera of an active volcano and are waiting with nets to catch thenthings thrown inside! It is believed that taking such a risk andncatching food and flowers and maybe a chicken or two brings you goodnluck.n
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nBut…wait! Whatnabout the gods? Wouldn’t they be angry to be cheated out of theirnsacrificed items?
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nAre the people throwing in the stuff perfectlynhappy that their, say, tubers and melons never made it to the mountain gods andninstead are being eaten by someone else for dinner?
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nInfind it dazzlingly puzzling and amazingly fascinating!
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nAndn catch this article from the Daily Mail,n which perfectly captures the oddness of the festival in its really,n really long headline: “Stealing food from the gods: Villagersn offer gifts to appease the volcano (just don’t mention the menn perched INSIDE the crater ready to catch them).”
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nAlsonon this date:
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Martyrs’ Day in Panama
Martyrs’ Day in Panama n
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NationalnStatic Electricity Day
NationalnStatic Electricity Day n
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BalloonnAscension Day
BalloonnAscension Dayn
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Anniversarynof Columbus spotting mermaids (supposedly!)
Anniversarynof Columbus spotting mermaids (supposedly!)n
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nPlannahead!
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nJanuaryn birthdays
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nAndnhere are my boards for:
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