BROMO, Indonesia - As chickens, vegetables and banknotes were hurled into the smoking crater of Indonesia's Mount Bromo, people waiting on its steep slopes rushed forward with nets, hoping to catch offerings that could help them make ends meet.
The scenes unfolded during Yadnya Kasada, an annual festival celebrated by the mainly Hindu Tenggerese people who live around the active volcano in East Java.
For the Tenggerese, casting produce, livestock and money into the crater is a way of giving thanks to the gods and nature. For poorer residents of nearby communities, the ritual also provides a chance to collect food and cash.
This year's festival took place from May 31 to June 1, with worshippers making their way before dawn across the Sea of Sand, a vast plain of volcanic ash at the foot of the 2,329-meter mountain.
After praying, they tossed offerings including cabbages, leeks and banknotes into the crater, where steam hissed as people with nets waited below.
When one worshipper released a chicken in gratitude for a year of good fortune, more than a dozen people scrambled down the slope to catch it.
Among those hoping to benefit was Sariman, a man in his 40s who had come from a nearby village.
"Thanks to the Tenggerese, we get to share in the blessings the gods have given them," he said.
Sariman collected about 1 million rupiah ($55) in cash at last year's festival, roughly half what he had received in earlier years.
As social media draws more attention to the ceremony, increasing numbers of people are attending the rituals, while more are also coming in hopes of collecting offerings.
Before making their way to the crater, Tenggerese worshippers visit small shrines set among volcanic rocks to seek blessings for the gifts they plan to make.
The festival's main rites take place on the night of the full moon according to the community's traditional calendar, bringing together Tenggerese people from four surrounding regencies.
Yet Yadnya Kasada extends beyond the Hindu community. Muslims and Buddhists also attend, and women wearing Muslim headscarves were among those heading up the mountain as traditional gamelan music drifted from a Hindu temple below.
The area's distinctive religious traditions have deep historical roots.
From the 13th to the 16th century, the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit Empire flourished on Java. Islam subsequently spread across the island, but the communities around Mount Bromo largely maintained their Hindu practices.
Wiwit, who teaches people about the rituals, said the mountain's isolation may help explain why.
"The area around Mount Bromo was difficult to reach in those days, so Islam may not have spread here as widely," Wiwit said.
The mountain is also a popular destination for foreign tourists drawn by its striking landscape and social media appeal. But some visitors have faced criticism for behavior seen as disrespectful, including drinking alcohol during the festival.
When tourists were barred from the mountain during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the ceremony was said to have regained its solemn atmosphere.
Access during the festival has since been restricted to those involved in it.
For those catching the offerings, there is no contradiction between the sacred ritual and putting its gifts to practical use.
Asked whether taking items meant for the gods might bring punishment, several participants gave the same answer: "The offering is complete the moment it's thrown in. The blessings can then be shared with those who pick it up."
