Berchman Heroe, Contributor, Temanggung, Central Java<\/p>\n
For years, every village head in Traji -- a remote village in
\nKeparakan, Temanggung -- has had to do more than just take care
\nof his people. Every year, at Sura, the first month according to
\nthe Javanese calendar, he has to be remarried.<\/p>\n
The tradition is done during a special ritual and place, at
\nthe Sendang Sidukun, a natural spring that is the main water
\nsupply for the whole village and its surrounding, and it is
\nalways performed during on the eve of Sura, a sacred month for
\nthe Javanese.<\/p>\n
The tradition has been well preserved at Traji, and every
\nvillage head candidate should be willing to perform the annual
\nritual once he is elected.<\/p>\n
At the ritual, the village head is not required to marry a new
\nwoman, but renew his wedding vows with his present wife.<\/p>\n
"This is the fourth time I'm being remarried to my wife since
\nI was elected as Traji head village in 1999," Traji head village
\nAriyanto said of his recent "marriage" on Sura 1 this year, which
\nfell on March 4, 2003.<\/p>\n
According to Bandung native Ariyanto, who is a former
\nparamedic, all the expenses for the ritual, which costs some Rp
\n13.5 million, comes from the villagers' donations.<\/p>\n
"They set up a special committee to prepare the ritual,
\nincluding collecting the donations from the community, and the
\nofferings," he said.<\/p>\n
Villagers, some 3,000 of them, voluntarily pay, believing the
\nceremony's success would bring wealth and peace to the village
\nand community.<\/p>\n
The ritual itself is comprised of two main events, a kacar-
\nkucur rite and shadow puppet show all night long. Shadow puppet
\nmaster from Bantul regency in Yogyakarta, Ki Timbul Hadiprayitno
\nCermo Manggolo, staged the show in the recent ritual.<\/p>\n
During the kacar-kucur rite, which symbolizes the villagers'
\nhope for continuous wealth in the area, the "groom" was required
\nto pour a mixture of yellow rice, coins, green beans and soybeans
\nover the "bride"'s lap.<\/p>\n
The entire procession started at about 6 p.m. from the village
\noffice -- which were specially decorated for the occasion. Both
\nAriyanto and his wife Sri Pudjiastuti -- as the groom and the
\nbride, wore traditional Javanese wedding costumes along with the
\naccessories.<\/p>\n
The procession then proceeded to the main site of the ritual,
\nSendang Sidukun, which was located some 600 meters from the
\nvillage office.<\/p>\n
Senior village official Junaedi led the ceremony at the
\nSendang Sidukun by burning incense and reciting a mantra in which
\nits opening line means, "Men can lie, but incense cannot...."
\nThe bride and groom were then required to drink water from a
\nprepared bowl before leaving the site for a tour around the
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
Once "the newly married" couple left the spring, Traji
\nvillagers, including those who came from surrounding villages,
\nimmediately pushed forward to take some of the offerings and
\nwater from the spring, believing the offerings and the water
\nwould help them maintain their youth and bring good fortune.<\/p>\n
As the villagers were busy, the couple continued their tour.
\nAlong the way, they stopped by for a brief moment at six other
\nsacred springs -- Kali Bong, Puring, Sendang Kalijaga, Kali
\nPanas, Kali Wedak and Kali Lanang, to say their prayers.<\/p>\n
At these particular places, spectators would compete for the
\nflowers worn by both the bride and groom, believing it would
\nprovide them with good fortune.<\/p>\n
When the couple reached the main road leading to the village
\noffice, they made another stop to buy something from several
\nstreet vendors offering their merchandise along the way while
\nrepeatedly yelling, "Laris, Laris" (sold out, sold out).<\/p>\n
The vendors would feel lucky if the couple bought something
\nfrom them, believing it as a sign of good fortune and wealth.
\nThey even kept the coins used by the couple to buy their produce,
\ntreating them as charms.<\/p>\n
Another ritual was also held just before midnight at the same
\nday, until about 2 a.m. the following day. The main objective of
\nthis event was to present offerings to the spirits overseeing the
\nnearby Gumuk Goci hill.<\/p>\n
The night long shadow puppet performance was held the
\nfollowing evening in front of the village hall.<\/p>\n
A custom of distributing fine rice porridge locally known as
\nbubur sumsum a few days after the main ritual marked the end of
\nthe entire event.<\/p>\n
Recorded history does not tell us when the tradition was first
\nstarted. But stories have it that it started following a dream of
\nTraji's former village secretary Sukandar. According to stories,
\nthe late Sukandar met Kyai Agung, believed to be guardian spirit
\nof Sendang Sidukun. In the dream, he was told to conduct the
\nwedding ceremony, prepare offerings and stage a night long shadow
\npuppet show.<\/p>\n
"We just want to uphold the tradition," said Ariyanto. He said
\nthe ritual was actually expected to help preserve the sacred
\nSendang Sidukun spring as the village's main water resource.<\/p>",
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