arikuncoro
May 27, 2021
The 58th Writing Challenge
By: Bernardus Ari Kuncoro
Early in the morning, I saw a cool photo headline from The Jakarta Post. The photo was taken from Titi Banda Park, Denpasar, Bali on Wednesday, 26 May 2021. It represents the rare occasion of a lunar eclipse or blood moon that coincides with a super moon.
The photo is very relatable to the myth of a lunar eclipse in Indonesia. When I was a child, my parents told me that their ancestors believe in this story. The moon was being eaten swallowed by a ‘Buto Ijo’ – an Indonesian version of Hulk. The ancestors made some musical sounds from such as kentongan(s), or simply pans to ask ‘Buto Ijo’ to vomit the moon.
Well, although this event was occurred for about 5 hours and 5 minutes. I was not able to eyewitness this super blood moon. Too sad, actually. But, thanks to the technology, I can see clearly in this video on YouTube.
Imagine that I live 200 years back. No electricity installed nearby. No theory of science about the eclipse. What would I do? Maybe I made music with my neighbors and sang all along with them for about 5 hours nervously. Hoping that Buto Ijo will go away and chuck up the Moon.
Kalideres, 27 May 2021
