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ot much ketupat (rice cake cooked in a container of made woven coconut leaves) or new clothes will be enjoyed in Tengger this Lebaran after sulphur showers from nearby Mt. Semeru caused total harvest failure.

Although the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's Geological Agency downgraded the alert status for Mt. Semeru's volcanic activity to level two on June 6, volcanic ashes and other debris continue to shoot out of the peak.Sadumi, 60, a Muslim Tengger resident of Argosari, Senduro, Lumajang, could not hide her distraught as she looked over her half hectare cabbage plantation, the only source of income for her family, which has been destroyed by the sulphur showers.

"We planned to use the money earned from the harvest to celebrate Lebaran. Now we cannot even afford to buy snacks, much less new clothes," said Sadumi.

Sadumi said she earns an average of Rp 300,000 (US$30) a month from the family's plantation. The dire situation means Sadumi's family, along with Tengger's majority Hindu community, have to eat what is locally known as nasi aron, or corn powder, to survive.

Rice is added to the dish to soften the texture and make it easier to swallow, but only when it can be afforded.

"The price of rice here is just the same as in other places, Rp 5,300 per kilogram.

But we don't have enough money to buy so that we rarely eat rice," Sadumi said, adding that local residents had to walk for eight kilometers to buy the staple food.

Sadumi is just one out of hundreds of other residents suffering from the fallout of the harvest failures. "There will possibly be no ketupat to share during Lebaran," Sadumi said.

Although Islam only began to make inroads into the majority Hindu community in the 1950's, ketupat has been part of the local culture for centuries.

Ketupat is used as an offerings in some Hindu rituals.

It is also often served during the Hindu Karo festival, an annual celebration held after the celebration of the Yadnya Kasada ritual.

During the Karo celebration, ketupat is also usually served with sayur lodeh (jackfruit curry) or opor ayam (chicken curry), just the same as it is served during Lebaran.

"It's quite possible that we will also be unable to serve ketupat during the upcoming Karo celebration due to the harvest failure. We prefer to use the rice for the ritual," said Sukariyadi, 21, a Hindu resident of Ngadas, Sukapura, Probolinggo, Tengger.

He said since the two volcanoes in the region - Mt. Semeru and Mt. Bromo - began to show signs of increased volcanic activity, many farmers had seen their crops wither and die.