Thousands attend 'Gerebek Maulud'

Thousands attend 'Gerebek Maulud'

YOGYAKARTA: Thousands of people thronged a square in front of
Yogyakarta Palace on Thursday to commemorate Prophet Muhammad's
birthday in an annual ritual locally known as Gerebek Maulud.

The people, many of whom came from neighboring towns of
Purworejo, Surakarta, Wonosobo, Magelang, arrived in the morning
on buses and trucks to get places in front with a hope of seeing
Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X up close.

The sultan blessed the crowd by presenting six rice cones
locally called gunungan.

The rice cones were watched over by palace guards and their
elephants before the presentation. People who believe in the
blessing of the food frantically rushed to the cones to take
anything they could reach.

Thursday's ceremony capped a month-long festival in
celebration of the Islamic holiday. A similar event also took
place in neighboring town of Surakarta. (swa)