The Doraemon Rain Ritual: Making Magic with Pop-Culture
The picture above is almost absurdist but I thought there’s something about it that also chimes in very nicely with my interest in seeing the magic in our everyday. So for context, there’s currently a heatwave rampaging through the whole of South-East Asia. The weather has gotten so bad that at least 30 people have died in Thailand from heatstroke so far.
Some institutions had turned towards misting places as a solution and while that is certainly enchanting in its own way, I’m especially drawn to the rain-making ritual performed by the residents of three villages in Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan province.
According to the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, the Hae Nang Maew or Cat Parading Ceremony is a time-honoured tradition among Thai farmers. Central to the ceremony is the cat who is revered for its believed ability to summon rain with its cry when splashed with water. As the villagers were concerned about the impact that this might have on a live animal they came up with a cruelty-free alternative instead. In comes the popular iconography of Doraemon, the time-travelling cat.
The legitimacy of this ceremony was initially questioned. Surprisingly or not, the debate did not revolve around whether Doraemon counts as a cat. Instead, the concern raised was that the ritual typically involves a female cat and that Doraemon is male.
So why not Hello Kitty then? Apparently, the breed of the cat matters. While this may be region-specific, Thailand’s Korat Cat was said to have been preferred because its fur resembles rain clouds. Consequently, Doraemon might have been seen as better suited for the ceremony than his English-counterpart as his blue coat might have a clearer association with water. Besides, Hello Kitty is a girl and not a cat.
In any case, the rainfall over the past couple of days speak for itself. In fact, it was reported that that this worked so well that a tweet made with only one bar of 3G reports that rain and a thunderstorm that took out the power of a village aside, house had even began to flood!
What makes this even more fascinating is that there is a parallel phenomena in Indonesia as well. Instead of simply parading the cats, the Indonesias would throw a cat-wedding as a call for rain!
Either way, it’s not like the cats were sacrificed or forced to mate. In both instances, these rituals can be better regarded as a rallying call for the community to band together, in order to hope for something better. Being mindful of the potential stress that an animal might go through is definitely much appreciated though!
Back on the topic of Doraemon, it is noteworthy that the Hae Nang Maew Ceremony is not the first time where Doraemon had been incorporated into Thailand’s religious customs. In fact, there are many shrines all across Thailand that are adorned with this time-travelling cat. Beyond his four-dimensional pouch in which he stores tools, inventions, and gadgets from the future, this pop-culture icon can most definitely be relied upon to solve any of your life problems.
As a writer, there are many threads within this story that fascinates me. Most prominent of all is the demonstration of how it is possible to engage with the products of modernity in a mystical and folkloric manner. That aside, there is also the importance of symbolism and community building in our every day. Beyond escaping into other worlds, I hope this shows everyone that there is magic in our everyday too.
