Sultan holds thanksgiving party

A giant traditional offering of fruits and vegetables highlighted the Grebeg Syawal thanksgiving party held by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta for Idul Fitri.

About 10 members of the palace's traditional troop, led by Commander GBPH Yudaningrat, carried the two-meter-high offering, called gunungan jaler, from the palace to the nearby Kauman Grand Mosque on Tuesday at 9 a.m.

After KPH Ahmad Kamaludin, a Muslim leader from the palace, said a prayer to bless the offering, hundreds of locals began to struggle to get a piece of the offering.

"People who manage to get some of the offering will be blessed. If they mix the offering with their corps, they will get a better harvest," Ahmad said.

He said the gunungan jaler consisted of various agricultural products like beans, paddy, vegetables, chilies and shallots because Yogyakarta is an agrarian region and most of the residents are farmers. -- JP