Sunday morning is when the official ceremony starts. The multitude begins to move towards the lake and the tree, following a group of gray-haired ladies who clasp a handful of fresh cut grass in one hand and a long, thin ceremonial cane in the other. They sing together with a smooth and sweet sound–“Oh mareo mareo”–in a repeating chorus, (meaning, “we have come back again after a year”). They kneel down by the side of the water and touch the water with the grass in their hands, then sprinkle it on their bodies and on the people behind them. The people follow in their steps and the sprinkling continues. Fulfilling their vows by offering their gifts and prayers, people leave the side of the lake to make room for the newcomers.
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