Unique religious tradition in Bantul<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Smoke from a blend of burning incense and
\nyellow sandalwood wisped gently upwards while its fragrance
\nspread through the holy altar of Candi Tyas Dalem Yesus, the
\nTemple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at Ganjuran in Bantul,
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people turned their faces toward the direction of
\nthe temple which was glowing in the morning sunshine.<\/p>\n
Built by the Schmustzers in 1927 in a Javanese-Hindu
\narchitectural style, the Tyas Dalem Yesus temple -- which lies
\nsome 17 km south of Yogyakarta and is located close to Ganjuran
\nCatholic Church -- is a small structure which local Catholics
\nvisit to meditate. Every late June, coinciding with the
\nobservation of a feast celebrating the sacred heart of Jesus on
\nthe church's liturgical calendar, a procession glorifying the
\nholy blessed sacrament is conducted in a Javanese traditional
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
As in previous years, thousands of people from Jakarta,
\nSurabaya, Semarang and Surakarta gathered in the temple's yard
\nvery early in the morning of June 25, 2000. The Javanese
\nprocession, which was combined with the holy mass, was scheduled
\nto commence at 7 a.m., but the yard was crowded with visitors who
\nwere waiting since the night before.<\/p>\n
\"I've been here since last night. We came in groups, and
\nstayed here with our relatives,\" said Lucia, who is from Depok,
\nWest Java, and was part of a group of 10 visitors.<\/p>\n
The merging of Catholicism with the Javanese culture was
\nwitnessed there at the gate. The entrance was ornamented with
\ndecorations made of young yellow coconut leaves, which a Javanese
\nfamily uses when they throw a party. On either side of the
\nentrance were two large ceramic jars containing holy water for
\nthose wishing to purify themselves. The structure of the temple,
\nwhich constitutes the main altar, had jasmine and various kinds
\nof offerings adorning it.<\/p>\n
All the chaperons and members of the event's organizing
\ncommittee donned traditional Javanese costumes. The Catholic
\npriests leading the holy mass also wore this traditional attire.<\/p>\n
The ceremony began with the appearance of fifteen Catholic
\npriests accompanied by some people carrying ceremonial objects.
\nThey all headed toward the front part of the altar. At the same
\ntime, gamelan players played a hymn called Lancaran Pelog 6. Upon
\narriving before the altar, the priests knelt down and showed
\nrespect to the statue of Christ the King, located inside the
\ntemple. Then one of them burned incense, ratus and yellow
\nsandalwood powder as a token of a respectful offering to God.<\/p>\n
In the course of this holy mass, Catholic rituals and
\nJavanese traditions formed a harmonious blend, which was
\nmanifested in the procession of the all holy sacrament and the
\nprocession of the Gunungan offering. Gunungan, a mountain-like
\nfigure which symbolizes the universe and is known to the Javanese
\nas being part of the Garebeg ceremony, was also presented and
\nlater offered to the people who gathered there.<\/p>\n
At the offering, two Gunungan, representing a male and female,
\nwere displayed. A Gunungan represents the union of creation, and
\nthe feeling and idea of it in the form of various kinds of
\nagricultural products.<\/p>\n
But the long-awaited event was the all holy sacrament
\nprocession. In Catholic belief, this sacrament is believed to be
\nthe body of Jesus Christ. The procession, which was accompanied
\nby all sorts of symbolic attributes of a king, was quiet and
\ntouching. When the procession passed, those present knelt down to
\nshow their respect to the presence of Jesus.<\/p>\n
\"I have never before been this emotionally touched. When the
\nprocession passed and stopped in front of me, I could not
\ndescribe how I felt then. I was really happy when I could touch
\nthe sacrament's cover,\" said Murwaningsih of Sleman, Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The procession ended with the participants competing with one
\nanother to take the contents of the Gunungan, which included
\nvarious sorts of seeds and produce. In just five minutes, there
\nwas nothing left of the two Gunungan.<\/p>\n
\"I was lucky enough to get a handful of rice. I will keep this
\nat home so that I can have a good rice harvest,\" said a man from
\nBambang Lipuro, Bantul, Yogyakarta. (Tarko Sudiarno)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unique-religious-tradition-in-bantul-1447893297",
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