Thousands attend 'Gerebek Maulud'<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA: Thousands of people thronged a square in front of
\nYogyakarta Palace on Thursday to commemorate Prophet Muhammad's
\nbirthday in an annual ritual locally known as Gerebek Maulud.<\/p>\n
The people, many of whom came from neighboring towns of
\nPurworejo, Surakarta, Wonosobo, Magelang, arrived in the morning
\non buses and trucks to get places in front with a hope of seeing
\nYogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X up close.<\/p>\n
The sultan blessed the crowd by presenting six rice cones
\nlocally called gunungan.<\/p>\n
The rice cones were watched over by palace guards and their
\nelephants before the presentation. People who believe in the
\nblessing of the food frantically rushed to the cones to take
\nanything they could reach.<\/p>\n
Thursday's ceremony capped a month-long festival in
\ncelebration of the Islamic holiday. A similar event also took
\nplace in neighboring town of Surakarta. (swa)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thousands-attend-gerebek-maulud-1447893297",
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