Indonesians flock to festival to cast mythical effigies out to sea

Thousands flocked to a coastal town in western Indonesia Sunday to watch a clash between ornate mythical effigies before they are cast into the sea, in a centuries-old ritual born from a Shiite holy day of mourning.

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.

The origins of the festival were imported to western Indonesia by Shiite Muslim soldiers from India under British rule in the 19th century.