Indonesians flock to festival to cast mythical effigies out to sea

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. Though the festival has its roots in the Muslim holy day of Ashura -- when Shiites mourn the death of Imam Hussein...