Papuan Muslims Hold Burning Stone Ritual to Welcome Ramadan
18 June 2015 08:12 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Muslim community in Mateor village, Jayapura, held the Burning Stone ritual to welcome the fasting month.
Community head Hadiman Asso, 37, said the ritual was meant to be a gathering, known as silaturahmi, ahead of the beginning of the fasting month.
"During the event, we can forgive and greet one another," he said during the ceremony on Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
The Burning Stone ritual is a ceremony of cooking food using heated stones put on top of grass.
Atop of the stones, people place vegetables, cassava or meat, before covering them all again with grass to keep the heat. The cooking lasts for two to three hours.
Hadiman said Papuan Muslims have resided in the area since 1981. "Currently, there are 600 people or around 84 households in Jayapura,” he said.
CUNDING LEVI