The world's biggest gatherings

SEVERAL of the world's largest gatherings of people take place this month. The Shia Arbaeen festival, attended by 16m people, was held in Iraq on January 3rd. The annual procession of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines took place on January 9th-10th, attracting around 9m people, and the first phase of the Bishwa Ijtema, an annual Muslim festival held in Bangladesh, began on January 11th and was attended by around 3m people. But the biggest of them all began on January 14th. At the start of the 55-day-long Maha Kumbh Mela festival, 10m devout Hindus took a ritual dip in the chilly waters of the north Indian city of Allahabad, at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers. Every three years a Kumbh Mela is held at one of four locations where it is believed that drops from a kumbh (pitcher) containing the nectar of immortality were spilled as gods and demons struggled over it. The festival at Allahabad is the holiest of all and attracts the largest throng: some 70m devotees in 2001, making it the largest gathering in human history. By the time this year's festival ends on March 10th, the number of visitors is expected to have reached a record-breaking 80m. Its significance is both spiritual and commercial. By one estimate the festival will bring 12,000 crore rupees ($2.2 billion) to the coffers of Uttar Pradesh, the state where it is held, and create 600,000 temporary jobs.

