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aking offerings of buffalo heads to the sea, and to a volcanic crater were among traditional rites performed by Javanese residents to welcome the Javanese and Islamic New Year.

The arrival of the Islamic month of Muharram, or the month of Suro according to the Javanese calendar, was celebrated with various rituals and ceremonies according to local traditions across Central Java and Yogyakarta.

Islamic New Year's day, a national holiday, fell on Friday.

At Samas Beach in Bantul, Yogyakarta, villagers celebrated the day with various cultural performances and a Mahesa Suro ritual.

Dressed in traditional attire and accompanied by a gamelan troupe, the villagers marched to the beach to perform labuhan (sea offerings ceremony). The same rite was also performed at the neighboring beach village of Parangkusumo.

In Yogyakarta, thousands joined the tapa bisu (silent march) ritual, walking around the palace's fortress while refraining from talking. "I was just saying prayers in my heart. I prayed for safe living," said Suratno of Kadipaten Lor.

In a number of places, people conducted jamasan (washing) rituals for belongings they consider to posses supernatural powers.

At Imogiri Royal Cemetery residents held a procession known as Nguras Enceh, which is a ritual to change the water in a container that is believed to have once been used by the founder of Mataram Kingdom, Sultan Agung, to wash himself before praying.

In Boyolali, Central Java, residents on the slopes of Mt. Merapi performed the Sedekah Gunung (mountain offerings ceremony) early on Friday morning.

Carrying heads of slaughtered buffalo, the group marched 4 kilometers to the top of the volcano to throw the offerings into the crater, as a symbol of their wishes for safety from natural disasters, particularly volcanic eruptions.

Having developed into one of the regency's tourist attractions, the ritual attracts visitors from outside Boyolali who come to witness the procession.

"This ritual is unique. That is why it has become a tourist attraction," Boyolali Regent Sri Moejanto said.

"My friends and I chose to come here to see the procession for ourselves. It is indeed unique," said Andrian of Jakarta, who is currently studying at a university in Semarang.

Meanwhile in Cilacap, Central Java, around 35,000 fishermen decided not to go to sea from Thursday night to Friday because of Javanese New Year. "None of us had the guts to go out *fishing* today because it coincides with the Kliwon Friday according to the Javanese calendar, which is a sacred day. We celebrate this day with the *sea offering* ritual," fisherman Rasino, 40, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

During the ritual, fishermen throw offerings into the sea, dedicated to the Queen of the South Sea, Rasino said. "Muslims are in fact forbidden to do this - to worship a deity other than God," said Rasino, adding that around 80 percent of the fishermen were Muslim.

"But since this has been a tradition for generations, local ulema told us to change our intention of making offerings to the Queen of the South Sea, to feeding fish. They said this was allowed according to Islamic teachings, since it is considered the same as feeding fish in our ponds," said Rasino, adding that he was Muslim.

As part of the ritual more than 40 heads of slaughtered buffalo were thrown into the sea with other offerings, he said. "It's only the heads we throw into the sea. We cook rest of the meat for the thanksgiving ceremony," Rasino said.

Tens of thousands flocked to Teluk Penyu Beach on Friday to see the procession, which began with a ceremony at Cilacap administration hall, and was followed with a procession for around 3 kilometers to the beach for the offering ritual.

"We have made the tradition part of our annual tourism agenda," Cilacap administration spokesman Aris Munandar said.