PARIAMAN: Thousands flocked to a coastal town in western Indonesia on Sunday to watch a clash between ornate mythical effigies before they are cast into the sea, in a centuries-old ritual.

Dozens of men paraded the two winged, horse-shaped effigies across the town of Pariaman on Sumatra island, bringing traffic to a halt in the city centre as the festival known as Tabuik got under way.

The 12-metre-high effigies were shaken and deliberately knocked into one another as they were brought to a nearby beach before being toppled into the surf to the backing track of a traditional band.

Though the festival has its roots in Ashura, visitor Riko Putra found the Tabuik festivities “exciting”. “From what I saw on the beach... it was more like a euphoria, like welcoming a victory,” Riko said.

The origins of the festival were imported to western Indonesia by Shia Muslim soldiers from India under British rule in the 19th century. The ritual dramatises in the abstract the battle of Karbala.

The effigies are shaped like Buraq, a winged horse-like creature often depicted with a human head believed to have picked up Imam Hussein’s remains after the 7th-century battle and carried them to heaven.

Around one million Shia practitioners live in the country, and while attacks on the community are rare, adherents have faced persecution. As it shed its explicitly Shia roots, Tabuik now brings in tourists from across Indonesia and abroad, and is one of the main attractions in the town.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024