Making Batik photo

Batik is one of the cultural heritage of Indonesia. In this country there are many cities that have their own batik characteristic such as Jogjakarta, Solo, Pekalongan, Kalimantan, Cirebon and many more. Batik from Jogjakarta or Yogyakarta has many motives or pattern. Each pattern has its own meaning and some motives can only be wore by certain people. So, what are the meaning?

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1. Kawung
Batik with Kawung pattern is worn by the king and the family. Kawung pattern symbolizes justice and power. This motif consists of four circle focused on a point means a King that is assisted by his servants.

2. Sido Mukti
Batik Sido Mukti is worn on a wedding by the bride and the groom. Sido means continuously, Mukti means prosper and full of happiness. It is expected the bride and groom who wear this batik will someday be happy and prosperous.

3. Truntum
Batik Truntum is worn by the parents of the bride and groom. Truntum means to guide. It is expected the parents are able to guide and giving wise advices to the bride and groom to stepping in the marriage life.

4. Parang
Parang means weapon (like a sword), it symbolizes power and speed.

5. Ciptoning
For those who wear Batik Ciptoning is expected to be a wise person, he may give wise advice and right suggestion in the life.

6. Sido Mulyo Semen
Sido means continuously, Mulyo means prosper. It is expected anyone who wear this batik will by prosperous.

7. Wahyu Temurun
The one who wears Batik Wahyu Temurun is hopefully will always get the God’s guidance and blessing.

8. Tambal
Tambal means to mend or repair, to be used more longer. It is believed any sick people will be getting well easier if wearing this batik.

9. Udan Liris
Udan Liris means drizzle, it symbolizes fertility.

10. Nitik
It is expected the one who wears Batik Nitik will be a wise person

11. Sido Mulyo
It means responsibility, prosperity and protect the earth.

12. Ceplok Kasatrian
The one who wears this batik will have the spirit of knight.

One of cultural Tourism attraction in Indonesia is a ceremony called Sedekah Merapi. In this event, thousands of people from around the slope of Merapi Mountain followed a ritual at 1 Sura or the New Hijri Year 1431 which focused on Lencoh Village, Selo, Boyolali district, Central Java, Friday (18/12) early morning. They are enthusiastically following the annual ritual ceremony, with one of the ritual is sacrificing a buffalo head and a number of offerings into the crater at the top of Mount Merapi. The ceremony is aimed to avoid the natural disasters due to the most active mountain in Indonesia.

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Merapi Mountain ceremony performed every 1st Sura with the aim to ask the God a salvation for people who live around Mount Merapi and be protected from natural disasters arising out of Mount Merapi. The ritual is a traditional cultural performed by communities around Merapi and it’s been done for generations since the time of the ancestors to the present. This is a very interesting tourism attraction in Indonesia specifically in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

People here are not likely to leave the ritual ceremony because it is merged with local custom. Therefore, every citizen who will have their own celebration usually initialed with a traditional ceremony to make offerings of food available in surround the mountains. As such, they will be given safety and agricultural products are abundant and prosperous life as a result of soil fertility from Mount Merapi.

The ritual procession that followed thousands of residents of local communities and from outside the area began with buffalos paraded around the village before it was slaughtered and sacrificed the head into the crater of Merapi.

Head of Tourism and Culture Boyolali District, Sumantri said that the buffalo head wrapped in white cloth is completed with offerings such as tumpeng gunung (cone shaped rice) made from corn, and brubus from Lumbu leaves. In addition, there is also gomok, acung-acung, Bothok sempurno with crops, klobot cigarettes (made from corn’s ear), bananas raja, kantil flowers, turmeric, egg and cash Rp100.

Meanwhile, before the head of buffalo and offerings are thrown into the crater of Merapi at 00:10 am, the people is firstly sing songs to praise and prayer (hymn) to the God to avoid disasters due to the mountain. The Buffalo’s head that will be sacrificed then taken by four men who wear traditional Javanese clothes to the crater at the peak of Merapi which is about four kilometers and will take approximately four hours. After the buffalo head is appointed to the top of the mountain, thousands of people who follow the procession are competing to get the offerings, the cone shaped rice from corn which is the typical food people on the slopes of Merapi.

The culture of this mountain ritual is aimed also to attract local tourists as well as from international to get closer to know the culture of the people living on the surrounding mountains, especially supporting the tourism point of Solo-Selo-Borobudur. Tourists who are willing to witness this ceremony are better to stay in hotels at Solo or Yogyakarta.
[ad#468x60-red] ]]> http://discover-indonesia.com/uncategorized/sedekah-merapi-a-ritual-on-the-mount/feed/ 0 http://discover-indonesia.com/events/grebek-demak-the-spiritual-attraction/ http://discover-indonesia.com/events/grebek-demak-the-spiritual-attraction/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:37:36 +0000 deka http://discover-indonesia.com/?p=419

Soldier of Kraton photo by Victor_deka

Grebek Demak is an annual event of Demak citizens in order to welcome or celebrate Eid al-Adha. This year Grebek Demak will be held on November, 27-28 2009. The event itself was preceded by a night market in the field Jogo Tembiring Indah, Wonosalam district, Demak regency for seven days and seven nights. [ad#468x60-red] The Summit took place on the 9th of Dzulhijjah (November 27, 2009) is marked by a ceremony with offerings Nine Tumpeng (9 rice cone). Nine cone prepared in Demak regency hall at 19.00 pm, which then brought to the Grand Mosque of Demak, to be held a Selamatan ceremony.

Gunungan photo by Victor_deka

On the next day at 08.00 am at the district hall will be held ceremony to depart the Jamas oil to Kadilangu tomb which is led by the head of Demak regency who wearing Beskap (traditional uniform) escorted by Patangpuluhan soldiers. In the Kadilangu tomb is held penjamasan ceremony (purification) the heritage of Sunan Kalijaga named Kyai Cerubuk and Kotang Ontokusumo. Purification carried out by the elders man of Kadilangu who are descendants of Sunan Kalijaga. [ad#kotak336]

In the Balinese Hindu, there is a ceremony for the ancestors after Ngaben that is called Mamukur or Memukur. Mamukur is the highest stage after Ngaben (incineration or burning of the dead bodies). Since the rite costs a lot of money, the people of Bali rarely held this ceremony only for a dead person but for a group of their ancestors or mass Mamukur. The cost for the ceremony can be more expensive then Ngaben.

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The word Mamukur comes from Balinese language bhu (natural) and ur (above). It is a sacred ceremony that becoming Balinese Hindus obligations. In this religion, every person has a debt to Sang Hyang Widi Wasa (God), Guru (Teachers), and Ancestors. This understanding gave a sacred duty called Pitra Yadnya. When a parent dies, the children should hold Ngaben and then mamukur – both are series of purification ceremony for the atma (spirit).

In the Balinese Hindu belief, atma is the spark of the Creator in the human body that will never die. When human life, atma attached to the rough body (badan wadag). However, when a man dies, his atma still attached to the invisible soft body (suksma sarira). Atma and suksma sarira still has the characters of human desire. Mamukur is a purification ceremony for atma to be apart from suksma sarira, and to be the holy spirit (Dewa pitara) which merged with Sang Hyang Widi Wasa.

“After Ngaben, suksma sarira can go out of the temple and even his old house. After mamukur, because it was pure and free from subtle body, the God of Pitara can incarnate in the body of the grandchildren or great-grandson who will born.

In other words, Ngaben ceremony is to release the spirit from the rough body, while mamukur to release the spirit from the soft body becomes the holy spirit – the peak of perfection in human life cycle.

In the peak of mamukur, after some preliminary ceremony that are very meticulous, the 36 symbols of spirit moved arround a white bull or a round payadnyan Stana, a symbol of home for the spirit. This symbolizes the spirit riding the Nandini.

Ngaben ceremony photo by dicomini

After all the symbols are placed in Stana, in the middle of the night is the ceremony of burning the symbols. The next day, the ashes taken to sea to be floated. So, the sacred ceremony of Mamukur has been finished.

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Kampung Naga is one of the traditional villages in West Java. The village of 10 hectares wide is located in the  Neglasari Village, Salawu, Tasikmalaya regency. It is about 380 Km south east of Jakarta.

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Kampung Naga is near to the Garut-Tasikmalaya highway, about 30 kilometers from the center of Tasikmalaya City or 25 km from Garut . This village was located 0.5 km below the highway, located in the valley of the River Ciwulan.

The people of Kampung Naga holding ceremony. Photo by yogi_aibara

Around 150 families of Sanaga (Naga residents) are still holding the customs and traditions inherited by their ancestors. One of them is the order of the township. There are 110 houses made of bamboo, wood, and roofed with palm leaves. The shape of the houses are similar to each other with the size 5 x 8 meters. This similarity is the symbol of togetherness and simplicity. The simplicity is also reflected by the life without electricity.

The value of local wisdom is also reflected from the environment and ecology of Kampung Naga that is still maintained pure until now. Ciwulan River which is the life vein of this village is still pure since they protect the forest in the upper river. Protection of water resources is part of the Sanaga tradition because water is the source of life that is used for fish and rice farming.

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Tengger Tribal communities in the area of the Semeru and Bromo Mount in East Java holds Yadnya Kasada or Kasodo cerermony every year. This cultural event is a worth event to witness among ceremonies like Sekaten and Ruwatan. For this year the rite were held at Friday (9/4/09). They held the initial ceremony that is called Piodalan, a purification ceremony for temple Pura Luhur Poten located in the Tengger Sand sea (desert) as one of the preparation procession of Kasodo.

The Kasada ceremony is held at the temple which was under the northern foot of Mount Bromo and continued to Bromo mountain. It was held at midnight until the early morning of each full moon around the 14th or 15th day of the month Kasodo according to the Javanese calendar.

Kasodo Ceremony photo by Docae

Led by a number of shamans pandhita, the Tengger people gathered at the temple to pray. Various offerings (sacrifice) placed on the altar, including holy water or tirta that will be used to wash (purify) the temple and the Tengger people at the end of the ceremony.

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Water is taken from three springs, the Widodaren in the sand sea (lautan pasir) of Tengger, Madakaripura Waterfall in Lumbang-Probolinggo District, and Watu Plosot on Mount Semeru. The ceremony to get the water is called Mendak Tirta, mendak means to get, tirta means water. This ceremony is held a day before the Piodalan ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, the Tengger will throw their offerings/sacrifices into the crater of Mount Bromo, located about 400 meters from the temple.

The Legend of Kasada

Kasodo ceremony is derived from the legend of Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger. They are believed as the first people of Tengger. This legend took place when the king Brawijaya took the throne. Rara Anteng was Brawijaya daughter.

Though Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger have already married for long time, the couple had not been blessed with children. So, they went up to Mount Bromo to pray to the gods asking for a child.

The God blessed them and grant children but in one condition that the last child has to be sacrificed to the crater of Mount Bromo. Finally, Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger blessed with 25 children.

Kasada Rite photo by Docae

To keep their promise, the couple took their last child to be sacrificed to the crater of Mount Bromo. Shortly after, the boy’s voice from inside the crater said that they asked to hold a memorial ceremony every month Kasodo on day 14th. In the Tengger calendar, Kasodo is the last month (the tenth).
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Religious activities of Batak Samosir People at Toba Lake, Sumatra.


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All Photos by bagak_ida

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Javanese has various traditions, which related to rites or ceremonies. Many aspects of life of the Javanese begin with ceremonies. A ceremony seems become the initiation to start, end or avoid something. Among ceremonies, there is one, which is very important to perform. For those who believe, this ceremony will improve the quality of life. Not only will it improve the economic aspect but also health, relationship, peace, welfare and luck. The ceremony is Ruwatan.

Ruwatan comes from the old Javanese language ‘mangruwat’. The meaning is to release or set free. The ceremony is essentially to pray to the God, asking protection and prevention from all disturbances. Therefore, the interesting things are on how the rite is performed and who should be involved.

For whom is the rite?
Before we discuss how the rite is performed, we have to know firstly on who should be involved. This is important because ruwatan should be performed for persons or thing with certain condition. This rite is for persons which is in the ‘sukerta’ category. The sukerta category can be ontang-anting (a child without brother or sister), kedhana-kedhini (a son and a daughter), kembang sepasang (two daughters), sendhang kapit pancuran (two daughters and a son, in which the son is born after the first daughter), pancuran kapit sendhang (two sons and a daughter, in which the daughter is born after the first son). The persons with sukerta category or we can call them as the patients, have bad luck that should be neutralized. The goal of this ceremony is to banish the sukerta (bad luck).

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The Procession
The one who lead the ceremony is usually a person with spiritual ability. Commonly, a dalang (puppeteer of traditional Javanese shadow plays) leads the procession. The procession of ruwatan consists of four basic steps. The first is taking a bath. The patients wear pasatan (bathing cloth), the leader pours water over them. The water consists of kanthil (magnolia), mawar (rose) and melati (jasmine) flowers. The second step is hair cutting. Only a few hairs are cutted as symbol to banish the sukerta. The third is floating the pasatan and the hair to the sea. The fourth is the Javanese shadow puppet performance.

The shadow puppet performance is not merely a show but it consists of prays. It plays certain story namely Murwakala. It tells the beginning of the calamity occurs on earth. It is Batara Kala, a giant god, who asks food to Batara Guru, the king of gods. Batara Guru is afraid if Batara Kala will eat everything. Therefore, Batara Guru makes limitations on who can be eaten by Batara Kala. The human who may be eaten are those in the sukerta category. Then, Batara Kala comes down to earth to find victims. However, he gets no victim because Ki Dalang Kandhabuwana (the puppeteer) protects the people in the sukerta category.  Ki Dalang Kandhabuwana spells magic words (a prayer) to defeat and banish the evil power of Batara Kala.  The evil power is vanished, this also banish the sukerta from the patients.

For some of the Indonesian, river is an important aspect in their life. It is not just a pathway for water, but it can be the pathway of life. Many activities can be done on the river from just washing, take a bath to activities like buying, selling and spiritual rites.

Today, many rivers in the big cities of Indonesia are full of dirt. Big cities with population problem like Jakarta, has made the people less care about the environment. Take an example of Ciliwung river at Jakarta, it is full of garbage, smell not good and the color of the water is dark brown. The economic condition has insisted the people to use the water for bathing, tooth brushing, dish washing and even cooking.

Ciliwung River photo is taken from pu.go.id
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Now let us take a look on rivers in the rural areas. Rural areas of Indonesia are commonly have better environment. The rivers are clean from garbage, the water is more proper for bathing and other activities than those of the big cities’. The villagers are commonly have well, but they love to do things on the rivers. River is not merely for washing, bathing, cleanse cattles or make something wet, it is a place for interacting with other people. In addition, people at Kuin-Barito, South Kalimantan, make the river as a market. Selling and buying are done on boats.

One more interesting thing that people do on river is spiritual rite. Some people use river to do a dip for a night long. This activity is basiccaly to test their motivation, emotion, believe and physical strength. People who do such thing are those who has certain believe and the rite is a way to achieve a goal. Nowadays, only few people do that.

The most important is we have to care about our environment. Water and air are the most important aspect of human’s life. Let’s start from our surrounding to save the planet.