STORY: For centuries, Indonesia's Tenggerese people have invoked an ancient ritual

on the slopes of the stunning Mount Bromo, an active volcano.

It's known as the Kasada thanksgiving ritual.

:: East Java Province, Indonesia

Increasingly unpredictable weather has made seeking divine blessings

even more important for this Hindu farming community.

This year, the people hauling offerings up to this volcano's crater-

-said they hope Kasada will turn their lives around.

"I hope that with this offering of a goat, my work (as a vegetable farmer) will have better results next year."

:: This Earth

"My reason in making offerings to the Bromo crater is to get health, good fortune and prosperity."

The Tenggerese live in scores of villages in a national park on the mountain, a popular tourist spot some 500 miles south of Jakarta.

The community has held the Kasada festival since the 13th century Majapahit Empire-

-an act of devotion and gratitude to ancestors and gods.

Thousands carry vegetables, fruits as well as goats and other livestock to Mount Bromo's crater,

ending the ritual by hurling them inside.

It's an act that has taken on urgency in recent years.

In 2023, Indonesia endured its driest season in four years because of an extended El Nino,

causing drought, crop damage, and forest fires.

While meteorologists expect more rain this year, many farmers are struggling now.

Sixty-four year-old farmer Asih says she used to harvest cabbage three times a year, now only once with so little rain.

She says she prays for the well-being of her family and a bountiful harvest.

:: Asih, Local farmer

"Before the 2010 eruption, it was easier to mitigate the dry season. But this land is made of ash. When there is no more rain, we cannot grow another cycle of crop, everything will dry out. Now they are parched like this and they are not harvestable, once they have dried out, the roots will not grow anymore."

Farmers in Mount Bromo rely on rain and rain-fed lakes for irrigation.

But the drier weather has forced farmer Irawan Karyoto, to plant less profitable crops.

:: Irawan Karyoto, Local farmer

"This year, in the last rainy season, we failed because of the lack of rain. Our crop was potatoes, then after this dry season I changed it to spring onions."

Despite all this,

the Tenggerese people say they haven't given up hope, climbing the mountain to express their gratitude-

-and pray for a better harvest.