Lake Djonge cleansing ritual brings farmers together<\/p>\n
It was a hot and sweltering noon of a Legi Friday according to
\nthe Javanese calendar. Yet villagers living in the vicinity of
\nLake Djonge in Pacarejo village, Semanu, Wonosari, some 50
\nkilometers southeast of here, seemed oblivious to the searing
\nheat.<\/p>\n
Thousands of villagers were flocking to a prepared site
\nlocated to the south of the lake that measures four hectares in
\ndiameter, bringing tenongan, large containers made of bamboo
\nfilled with a variety of dishes. Each family brought its own
\ntenongan carried by the head of the family.<\/p>\n
That Legi Friday was indeed not ordinary. It fell prior to
\nthis year's wet season, the beginning of the planting season for
\nfarmers. It meant that the ritual cleansing of Lake Djonge, a
\nJavanese traditional ritual considered very important for the
\nprosperity and protection of people living in the villages around
\nthe lake, was to be carried out that day.<\/p>\n
\"We're afraid that something calamitous will befall us if we
\ndo not perform the ritual,\" said Mujiono, Pacarejo's chief clerk,
\nexplaining why the ritual is still held annually every Legi
\nFriday ahead of the planting season.<\/p>\n
The ritual, according to Mujiono, is dedicated to the guardian
\nspirit of Kyai (cleric) Djonge who once lived in Pacarejo hamlet
\nof Wangen and whose grave is said to be at the bottom of the
\nlake.<\/p>\n
Described as one of seven advisors of the Majapahit Kingdom
\nwho escaped the troops of the Demak Kingdom following Majapahit's
\ndefeat in a war against Demak in the late 14th century, Kyai
\nDjonge is believed to have possessed mighty supernatural powers.<\/p>\n
So powerful was Kyai Djonge that he was believed to be able to
\ndelay the setting of the sun to give his men more time to finish
\ntheir work, no matter how difficult it may be, before sunset.<\/p>\n
Kyai Djonge, or Kyai Sidik Wacono as he was previously known
\nbefore changing his name into Kyai Djonge (which literally means
\nboat, referring to the vehicle he used to escape), died in the
\nvillage on a Legi Friday, after leaving a message that the
\nvillagers could still ask him for help although he was no longer
\nalive.<\/p>\n
Buried in his own residence, his grave was eventually covered
\nwith rain water and turned into a lake. Locals consider the lake
\nsacred. Villagers then began conducting the annual cleansing
\nritual at the lake every Legi Friday prior to the beginning of
\nwet season, in the hope that the spirit of Kyai Djonge would
\nprotect them from harm and grant them their wishes.<\/p>\n
\"People wanting to become a village leader also come here to
\nask for help from Kyai Djonge. And once their wishes are
\nfulfilled, they are obliged to present a small offering by
\nslaughtering a chicken on a Legi Friday,\" Mujiono said.<\/p>\n
According to the Javanese calendar, a Legi Friday comes every
\n35 days.<\/p>\n
And that is not all. Pacarejo villagers wishing to hold a
\nparty, whether a wedding, a circumcision ritual, or other
\nfestivities, are also required to take a portion of water from
\nthe lake to be mixed with the water used to cook or to drink for
\nthe party. Otherwise, something unexpected might occur during the
\nparty, Mujiono said.<\/p>\n
So important is the ritual that the villagers start
\npreparations, including collecting money and cleaning the lake
\nsurroundings, weeks ahead of the day.<\/p>\n
Last Friday's ritual, which cost Rp 7 million, began in the
\nmorning with the slaughter of three big, healthy goats by a
\ncaretaker of the lake, Krisnoto. He then threw the heads of the
\ngoats into the lake and gave the meat to other villagers to be
\ncooked into a delicious curry for the villagers' meal at the
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
\"The slaughter of the goats is a requirement that must be
\nfulfilled,\" Mujiono said.<\/p>\n
The main ritual was held at an open veranda built at the south
\nend of the lake. Hundreds of tenongan consisting of various
\ndishes were placed near the ritual site.<\/p>\n
Another caretaker of the lake, Notosuwito, led the prayer held
\nin front of a substitute gravestone of Kyai Djonge, which was
\nbuilt intentionally on the banks west of the veranda to make it
\neasy for visitors wanting to express their wishes to the spirit
\nof the Kyai. Holding a burning incense stick, Notosuwito guided
\nvisitors in their prayers.<\/p>\n
At the same time, caretaker Krisnoto was busy picking out
\nsmall portions of food from each of the tenongan. He then put
\nthem into five panjang ilang (a container for offerings) to be
\nplaced around the lake.<\/p>\n
To make sure that every villager received the blessing of Kyai
\nDjonge, Krisnoto also distributed to all the villagers portions
\nof the goat curry made from the slaughtered goats.<\/p>\n
The peak of the ceremony was when the villagers ate all the
\nprepared dishes and offerings together. Some of them took some of
\nthe dishes home for their family members who were unable to come
\nto the ritual site.<\/p>\n
\"Each member of the family must eat the dishes in order to
\nreceive the blessings from Kyai Djonge,\" Krisnoto said.<\/p>\n
Was Kyai Djonge real or a just myth? Head of Pacarejo village
\nSardio revealed that in 1997, when the lake was dredged, they
\nfound a coffin made of teak wood.<\/p>\n
\"It was still intact and we thought it must have been Kyai
\nDjonge's,\" Sardio said.<\/p>\n
Regardless of the authenticity of the story, Lake Djonge
\ncleansing rite has become a venue for locals to meet. Most of the
\nvillagers of Pacarejo, including those who have left the village
\nto make a living in other towns, return home to attend the sacred
\nrite.<\/p>\n
The rite, therefore, has strengthened the villagers'
\ncollective identity and invariably links them to their home
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
-- Bambang M<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lake-djonge-cleansing-ritual-brings-farmers-together-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }