Indonesia: Legend of the Sea Worms                   Variations of the Sea Worms Festival is carried out in different parts of Indonesia including Sumba, Savu and Lombok. In Sumba, collecting the multi-colored sea worm is part of the larger Pasola Festival (colourful war ritual celebration) that is timed to coincide with appearance of the worms. Lombok's Bau Nyale Putri Mandalika Festival or Sea Worms Festival takes place on the 10th month of the Sasak Calendar (usually in February or March) on Kuta Beach and enjoins nature's cycles with folklore and contemporary socialising. The festival recounts the legend of Princess Putri, an exceptional beauty who faced the predicament of having to select a suitor from many, at sunrise. Fearing her choice would catalyze strife among different kingdoms and territorialities, she hurled herself into the ocean, calling out ‘kuta' (meaning, wait for me) after which the beach named. Her sacrifice so moved the heavens that she was transformed into hundreds of coloured sea worms. Her story has since been lauded as an exemplary tale of selflessness and sacrifice for the greater good. The Bau Nyale (meaning to ‘catch the worm') Festival has since been regarded as a fertility rite, and the worm fêted for its aphrodisiac qualities. The occasion has thus been celebrated by young couples and burgeoning romances. Fireplaces by the beach are built with lively all-night performances and activities to keep the crowd awake until dawn for the start of the worm-spawning season. There would be cock-fighting, singing, dancing, games and sessions of pantun - a kind of rhyming poetry that alos involves bantering and teasing. At dawn, hundreds would wade into the sea waters of Lombok to catch these colored worms with nets, buckets and vessels. These worms are then cooked in various ways as part of a festive feast, where a good catch signaled a fine harvest and rich fertility for the year ahead.