Gruta de Bidau Masau
The Gruta de Nossa Senhora de Bidau Masau ( German Grotto of Our Lady of Bidau Masau ) is a Marian grotto in Bidau ( Suco Bidau Santana , administrative office Cristo Rei ), a district of the East Timorese capital Dili . It is located in the district of Bidau Masau (Bidau Massau) , near the Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares and the local school. The grotto is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception ( Imaculada Conceição in Portuguese ).
Mythological background
The grotto itself was built in the shade of a sacred tree (Hali-Un) on November 15, 1991, just three days after the Santa Cruz massacre . Possibly the grotto was supposed to commemorate the victims of the massacre, but the place has always been considered sacred ( tetum lulik ). Not far from today's grotto, there is said to have been a cave called Fatu Kuak on Mount Camea (Foho Camea) , in which a spring used to provide drinking water. The water that ran out of a rock wall was considered magical. Only those with a pure heart could take the water because the magical giant serpent Foho-Samea was guarding them. Mountain and snake are equated and are namesake of the neighboring Suco Camea . The mythical giant snake is said not to have been seen since the Indonesian invasion of 1975. In 1977 a cross was erected on the mountain. The Fatu Kuak cave , the cross on Mount Camea and the sacred tree Hali-Un form a triangle.
Around the turn of the year 1989/1990, children are said to have seen 24 women dressed in white come out of the cave in rows of two at dusk. The women seemed to glow from within, their faces were covered by veils. According to the legend, at the end of the group the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception appeared, her hands clasped in prayer and with a sad face. The children followed the procession that led to the sacred tree Hali-Un . In the last rays of the sun, the women allegedly disappeared at the point where the artificial Mary's grotto now stands.
The local population sees this phenomenon as a sign that heralded the 1991 massacre. The number of women in penance is intended to symbolize the duration of the Indonesian occupation, whose occupation ended in 1999 after 24 years. Mary in prayer is seen as an omen for the independence of East Timor.
Other legends tell of a tunnel system that warriors can use to defend Dilis from Fatu Kuak to the monumental statue of Christ in the east of the city. A Lian Nain is said to have been ordered in a dream to create a promenade between the Mariengrotto and the cave. The cave should be connected to the summit cross with a staircase and a chapel should be built there. The mythical snake would then bless the Timorese with the water of the sacred spring.
When children hurled stones into the Fatu Kuak cave around the turn of the year 2009/2010 , many snakes are said to have emerged to protect the entrance. The next day there was a heavy downpour and a gush of red water ("the blood of Mount Camea") is said to have flooded Bidau Masau, coming from Mount Camea. The color could have been caused by red earth.
The Marian Grotto
The sacred tree Hali-Un
Commemorative plaque for the inauguration
