Before the coronavirus, this type of superstitious practices against evil spirits causing pain or bad luck were already common in the island nation, mostly Buddhist, but with the arrival of the pandemic the sessions have multiplied, and also the appearance of new unscrupulous healers.
MANY TURN TO EXORCISM IN SRI LANKA
The exorcism takes place in the town of Sirimalwatte, in the province of Kandy, and the scene has been meticulously prepared by the exorcist and his assistants: meat, fish and cooked eggs lie on a table next to a bottle of a well-known local liquor like arrack, a cigarette and a cheap cigar.
Prasad keeps a rooster and a sword in a corner, in case the devil wants a fresh sacrifice, and in order not to enrage the spirits, those present have been on a vegetarian diet for a week.
Around eight o’clock in the afternoon, 21-year-old Prasad lights a lamp with oil used to fry the meat.
27-year-old Udeshika Wickremaratne walks in and the exorcist begins to turn his head frantically.
The mother believed her daughter had been possessed by a demon and brought her to the exorcist’s home so that a ritual could be performed to expel the spirit, according to police in Sri Lanka.
The gurunnase, as exorcists are known in Sri Lanka, claims to be unaware of what happened during a session in which he eventually shed blood from the cockscomb. The young woman, for her part, explains that she felt a weight leave her body.
Wickremaratne did not believe in exorcisms, she explains to Efe, until severe back pain forced her to visit several conventional doctors without finding relief.
“The back pain was unbearable, I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” she explains.
Thousands of people in Indonesia appreciated this Thursday from various cities the last eclipse of the year, which was also visible in countries such as Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Singapore, among others.
One day her husband suggested that she go to Prasad for help. “He asked me if my back hurt. I don’t know how I knew, we hadn’t said anything to him yet,” recalls the young woman.
Diagnosis? An evil spirit was causing the pain and had to be expelled from her body. The date of the exorcism was set that same day.
Today, Wickremaratne claims to be completely cured.
Authorities believe there are more victims of this alleged scammer. That was how he would have cheated a mother.
Not all rituals end so well. On February 27, during an exorcism in the city of Delgoda, near the capital, a nine-year-old girl was beaten to death for hours.
Her mother and the person who officiated the ceremony were arrested.
These exorcisms have also become a juicy bargain in the island nation, with prices ranging from $ 3 to $ 300, more than the median monthly salary.
W. Kumari, 53, a resident of the southern district of Ratnapura, explains to Efe that he paid for a ritual to expel thirteen demons that were theoretically staying at his house. He no longer believes in this type of exorcisms, he admits, after not noticing any changes.
Prasad, who attributes the power to connect with the gods and drive ghosts away to the spirit of his grandfather who died in 2012, blames this loss of faith on a good percentage of charlatans who have turned exorcisms into a business.
Like his ancestor, the young man is dedicated to traditional medicine and claims to have cast out hundreds of demons.
“We need this practice because there are invisible powers that make people sick,” he stresses.
Beyond the field of evil eyes and spirits, anthropology professor Praneeth Abyesundara, from Sri Jayewardenepura University in Colombo, points out that this is a tradition with deep roots in Sri Lankan culture.
“The rituals have always been celebrated in Sri Lanka. They are a part of our local medical and cultural practices, but rarely these ceremonies are harmful or cause deaths,” he explains to Efe.
These are therapeutic ceremonies spread among the different religions of the island, from the Muslim, Hindu or Christian minorities to the Buddhist majority, and in which the entire town sometimes participates and gives a sense of protection.