It isn’t an overstatement to say that the main attraction of our housewarming party was a half onion and a jalapeno, both stuck together on a fork in the backyard. A few guests thought it was a red ball, while others asked us directly what “that thing” was.
Eventually, we asked the guests to gather around the $99 firepit we got from Bunnings and tried to explain the intriguing object in the backyard.
Far from a toy or a new way of gardening, it was a weather-controlling Indonesian hoodoo.
I tried to explain and saw even more confused looks:
“We, Indonesians, believe sticking an onion and a chilli on a stick in your yard to ward off the rain.”
We had been worried that it would rain that day, as the weather report said, and we were unsure whether we could fit fifty people in the house without utilizing the backyard.
It was Jik’s idea, who came the night before, to celebrate the housewarming with us.
Though I am also familiar with the method, I wasn’t sure about the origin of this Indonesian hoodoo. An article mentioned it was fishermen’s ritual before they go into the sea. It reminded me of Indian village households’ ritual of lighting and keeping the candle lit as a beacon for the fishermen of the house until they are back from the sea (I know this purely from watching Tamil movies). Others said it’s Southeast Asian shamanism ━ known as Dukun in Indonesia or Bomoh in Malaysia.
This ritual usually involved a rain shaman, a shallot, red chilli, prayer waters and other sacred items. Then, there is a proper way of cutting the shallot and the chilli—also specific methods of placing them on the ground.
Definitely, not done by jumping out of bed right after getting the idea, with half red onion (because the fork wouldn’t be able to hold one whole onion) and home-grown green jalapeno chilli stuck on a fork.
In short, I continued with how the Japanese have Teru Teru Bozu while we have this.
Anyway, my explanation did little to convince our guests; at best, it amused them. But it didn’t matter because our little home-styled shamanic ritual worked. The rain stayed away the whole day. Call it wishful thinking, the manifestation of our prayers ━ I do believe there is magic in the mundane.
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