We watched a television programme recently showing unusual and often weird rituals. Some of these were things you and I certainly wouldn't do as we are (we hope!) civilised and well educated human beings.

One of these rituals was carried out by a small, remote village in Somalia where the people are Christian. About an hour's walk from the village is a high rock, into which a church was cut hundreds of years ago. When a baby is born in the village, the family take it there to be baptised, as they believe it gives the baby an added blessing.

Not only do the family climb up the rock, clinging on by fingers and toes, but the whole village does too to witness the baptism. I can only say it was the most terrifying spectacle I have ever watched pre-supposing that this should be a happy and peaceful time for all involved. The baby was strapped onto it's grandmother's back, I don't know what age she was, but watching her climbing up was agony! I hate heights and the whole thing seemed beyond stupid to me. And you have to remember, they have already walked for an hour in the heat before they even start the climb.

As this was reported and captured by a television crew for the first time ever, the camera men and a woman reporter had to climb up with the others to witness this strange phenomenon. She stated how frightening it was to do this! I think that possibly they had some kind of safety harness, but I can't remember that now.

It takes about thirty minutes to make the terrifying climb. When they reach the top a narrow rocky ledge has to be crossed before entering the church. It is about seventy feet high and enough to give anyone vertigo!

However, they all arrived safely surprisingly enough (the previous year two people had fallen to their deaths) and they all crowded into the church where the priest took the service. How anyone didn't fall, I shall never know. The women and men were wearing long robes, which could easily catch around their feet.

I personally sighed with relief when they reached the bottom of the rock again and hoped no other baby would ever be born in the village so that awful climb would never happen again!

I wish someone was strong enough to stop this stupidity. No baby baptised in that church is more blessed than any other baptised elsewhere and how a priest could allow people to continue such a dangerous practice, I shall never know!

I hope it was just an hallucination!  Ha,ha.

January 2019