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Indonesia
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Thrown in a volcano: Indonesian devotees gather in thousands to sacrifice fruit, flowers and livestock

  • People from the Tengger tribe gather every year to throw offerings into Mount Bromo’s crater as part of the Yadnya Kasada festival
  • They do so in the hope of pleasing ancestors and Hindu gods – and bringing prosperity to their communities

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Members of the Tengger tribe throw their offerings into the crater of the active Mount Bromo volcano in Probolinggo, East Java province on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Agence France-Pressein Probolinggo, Indonesia

Thousands of worshippers trudged up an active Indonesian volcano on Saturday to cast livestock and other offerings down its smouldering crater in a centuries-old religious ceremony.

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Every year people from the Tengger tribe gather from the surrounding highlands to throw fruit, vegetables, flowers and even livestock such as goats and chickens into Mount Bromo’s crater as part of the Yadnya Kasada festival.

A long line of worshippers, some with goats slung across their backs, made their way to the top in the hopes of pleasing ancestors and Hindu gods – and bringing prosperity to their communities.

Villagers who are not members of the Tengger tribe try to catch the offerings using nets and sarongs before they disappear into the billowing smoke. Photo: AFP
Villagers who are not members of the Tengger tribe try to catch the offerings using nets and sarongs before they disappear into the billowing smoke. Photo: AFP

“Today I brought a chicken for the ancestors,” said Purwanto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, as he showed off his colourful hen.

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Another worshipper, Wantoko, carried his own crops in the hopes that casting them into the volcano would bring good luck.

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