Thailand sacrifices Doraemon to ask for rain

In drought-stricken northern Thailand, villagers performed a ritual to invoke rain, using a stuffed animal of the popular Doraemon as a substitute for the traditional live cat sacrificed in such ceremonies. Concerns about potential accusations of animal cruelty led the community to opt for the iconic anime character, known for being a time-traveling robotic cat.

The ritual consisted of carrying Doraemon's stuffed animal into a wooden cage and carrying it throughout the village, located in the province of Phrae. Local farmers, mainly dedicated to maize cultivation, are struggling to irrigate their fields due to the lack of rain, which has severely affected their harvests.

The choice of Doraemon as a replacement was due to the inability to find a more realistic cat plush toy, according to the report. The ceremony included taking the stuffed animal to sacred sites around the village and culminated with a ceremony at a nearby monastery, according to media reports in Thailand.

The rainy season in Thailand usually starts in May and lasts until November, but so far, the country is still waiting for the arrival of drought-relieving rainfall. However, Doraemon's curious sacrifice did not go unnoticed:

"The last time it was done, it rained heavily, and Doraemon was consecrated in a temple by the happy villagers. Doraemon is a god in Thailand."
"The temple of Ayutthaya is dedicated to Doraemon to wish good health and good fortune to the children, and he is treated as an all-powerful god."
"But wasn't Doraemon a raccoon?"
"According to the show and the comics, it's originally a cat-robot. He likes to make Mii-chan his girlfriend. It has a cat's tail and whiskers. Although he is afraid of rats (according to the episodes, it was the rats that ate his ears, hence Doraemon's fear of them). Shortly after losing her ears, she cried a lot and sank into her own pool of tears, causing her color to change from the original yellow to blue. The lack of ears and those big oval eyes along with his short stature (it's all the manufacturer's fault) make any stranger perceive him as a blue raccoon."
"Doraemon seems happy to be recognized as a cat even though he doesn't have ears."
"This is an especially kind world."