700,000 pilgrims wash away sins in Indian river amidst pandemic
- Hundreds of thousands of Hindu faithfuls have defied Covid-19 restrictions to mark an annual religious festival
- The group marched to the streets and dipped their bodies in the Ganges River to wash their sins away
- Authorities and health officials are worried that the river may now be a breeding ground for Covid-19
PAY ATTENTION: Join Briefly News' Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Worship comes first and Covid-19 comes last, this is how most Indian worshippers feel at the moment.
While the world keeps losing its people to the dreaded pandemic, a group of 700,000 worshippers marched to the Ganges River to pray for salvation.
The Hindu faithful prayed, chanted and sang as they hoped the water would wash away all their transgressions.
Source: UGC
What worried authorities and health officials was how much the group risked contracting the disease after the worshippers decided to wade and bathe in the water together, CNN reports.
Most of the people had no masks on and walked shoulder-to-shoulder as they marked the religious festival. Usually Kumbh Mela, the event, lasts for a month and is regarded as a major celebration.
At first the ceremony was postponed but stubborn Hindus showed up in the streets anyway and went ahead to submerge themselves in the unhygienic water.
The elderly, women, men and children all marked the spiritual occasion.
In other news by Briefly.co.za, this is perhaps one of the weirdest stories you will read today, but it is what it is. It started on Thursday, January 14 at 5am when an unknown arsonist set on fire the “Halloween House” in New York.
The house, also called “the House of Netherworld", is located in what has come to be known as the “Witchcraft District” in Poughkeepsie. It is a sacred place for members of the Church of Satan. According to a police report, there were two people in the house but both escaped unscathed.
On the surveillance video can be seen a man walking to the house with two containers full of gasoline, after which he douses the building with the liquid before setting it ablaze.
He ran away from the scene and still remains at large. In an interview with The Poughkeepsie Journal, church member Isis Vermouth reiterated that the community would curse the arsonist.
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Marilynn Manuel I am an experienced journalist with a keen interest in helping people tell their stories and writing content that inspires readers. When I’m not in front of my laptop producing viral articles for my publication, I find myself submerged in a fitness routine or trying new wellness smoothies. When I need some down time, I find that devouring a good book is equally as satisfying as reaching my health goals. Above all, I am a mom to a cute baby boy.
