DHopeful times call for desperate measures, and across Asia, communities are responding to an extreme and deadly heat wave that has ravaged the region since last month and left few options for residents and governments to cope. in creative and even superstitious ways.
A city in the Philippines launched free mobile showers, while in Vietnam municipal authorities considered enlisting the help of a man who claimed he could pray for precipitation. In Thailand, a village in the central province of Nakhon Sawan earlier this week resorted to a rain-calling ritual that involved parading a Japanese manga cat.
According to Thai media, around 200 residents of the province’s Phayuha Khiri district held a traditional hae nang maew, or “cat parade”. The ceremony has agricultural roots dating back hundreds of years, where farmers held a procession with a nang maew (gata), carried in a basket or cage, through the village as the planting season approaches. Because of cats’ aversion to water, traditionally the captive cat is splashed with water with the belief that its screams will be an omen of rain.
Although real cats have been used in the past, amid growing concerns about animal abuse, Hello Kitty dolls and other lifeless alternatives have been replaced in recent years.
Thai villagers this week wore plush toys of Doraemon – a cartoon blue male robotic cat of Japanese origin popularized by his manga and anime of the same name. This is not the first time that Doraemon has played the central role in the rain calling ritual. Doraemon, which first appeared in 1969, has become a beloved icon in the Southeast Asian country and has been frequently seen over the years at Buddhist shrines and temples.
But Doraemon’s powers in this regard are likely limited, as dry weather conditions in Thailand are not expected to ease until at least mid-May, as the start of the rainy season is delayed. Meanwhile, as climate change continues to increase global temperatures, meteorological experts are warning that the country’s sweltering summer heat, which would previously subside around June, could now and in the future last until October.
See more information: How to monitor and stay safe in extreme heat using the CDC’s new HeatRisk tool
