A magical 'pawang hujan' will keep the rain away

By Jules Bell and Irene Sugiharto

JAKARTA (JP): How do you ensure that your wedding does not become a pool party, where your guests run for cover as you marry under thundering skies? To stop the bridesmaids from turning into mermaids, you can hire a pawang hujan. Because apparently they possess magical powers.

Pawang hujan are rain guides. They specialize in preventing rainstorms that would otherwise be seriously inconvenient. These magicians of nature also frequent golf clubs. Not for a round of 18 holes though, but -- as anybody who has ever slid around a course in the wet will tell you -- because a rained out golf experience is best avoided.

Keeping the rain at bay for important outdoor ceremonies, including weddings, funerals, business events and a day's golf is the domain of pawang hujan. However, they do not attempt to stop the rain from falling, they just "transfer" it somewhere else.

Rain guides have apparently redirected rain for both former presidents Sukarno and Soeharto. Those most likely to hire a pawang hujan are practitioners of kejawen, an old traditional Javanese spiritual and religious belief system. According to the rain guides who spoke to The Jakarta Post though, most will -- and do -- work for clients of various religious affiliations and cultures.

So who are these meteorological maestros, and how do they weave their magic? They are most typically Muslim Haj, those believed to be most skilled in the art, and firm believers in their talents.

Persuading nature requires prayers and practices which vary among pawang hujan. In addition, fasting rituals and magical objects such as incense or red onions and even cigarettes are sometimes used.

Common to all though, is the need for strong faith and powerful prayers to supernatural beings, whose assistance they request for directing the rain.

Tibi, a 38 year-old pawang hujan who works from his home in Tangerang, relies on faith alone. "I do not need any special equipment to do my job; praying with a pure heart will lead my way. The wind direction is my main guidance on how to direct unwanted rainfall," he explained.

"If you just give yourself to the Lord the earth will just be in the palm of your hands."

With past clients including Soeharto and top military men, 83 year-old Haj Otong from Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, is a well- known and experienced practitioner of rain magic.

"All I do is give myself to the Lord," he said, "and let Him and the earth work for itself with the help of our pure hearts."

Like Tibi, Otong relies solely on his religious beliefs. "I am not like a lot of other rain guides who use kits to make the procession work." The rain guide who was once honored with a charter from former president Sukarno, uses the Dalail (direction) prayer from the Koran.

According to Otong, his magic will only succeed when carried out on a diet restricted to rice and water. He must also work on- location, regardless of an event's duration. Weddings usually require working three days and night, however he cited one event where his attention was needed for two months.

When black clouds threatened John Paul II's visit to Jakarta in October 1989, the talents of Tatang were on hand. Haj Otong's 40-year-old son has been practicing for 15 years and claims to have genetically and spiritually inherited his father gift. He describes himself as a "flexible rain guide", who willingly accepts jobs from people of all religions.

Tatang, who uses his own handmade weather chart to predict rainfall, most often works for golf courses. Rain guide's association with such sites is customary, said Robby Robot from the Indonesian Golf Association.

"Most (golfers) are happy to have a pawang hujan," he said, "they ask, 'do you have a pawang or not'?"

According to Deborah Evi, a tournament manager at the Imperial Golf Club in Tangerang, this is a very common question. "We always employ a rain guide for Saturdays and for tournaments," she said.

"We ask him to come the day before and stay the whole time." How successful is their pawang hujan? "Sometimes it rains," she responded, "and people run to the club house for cover."

No doubt Mulder's partner Scully from the X-files science- fiction serial would be skeptical regarding the rain guides' magic abilities. Others however are not.

Maria Wongsonagoro has employed pawang hujan for over 15 years. As a mother and the president-director of IPM Public Relations, she always hires a rain guide for outdoor personal and business events, and firmly believes in their supernatural abilities.

"Who can explain it," she said, "some people are gifted with powers beyond human comprehension."

In her many years of employing rain guides, her family and clients have remained dry. "I'm not taking any chances, it's standard operational procedure."

For Haj Otong, failure and wet clients is something he is yet to experience. "Alhamdulilah (thank God), never as long as I am sincere with my intentions," he said of his track record.

Tibi's approach is similar. "Prediction and God are two different things. What I do is ask Allah to hear my prayers. Success or failure, I just hope my wishes to come true if it is for the sake of goodness," he said.

The cost of a rain guide's services vary with the practitioner, client and event. As an example, Haj Otong's fees range from Rp 300,000 (US$35) for a day to Rp 350,000 for four hours, rates which are dependent on a client's ability to pay.

As individuals with mystical traditional beliefs and spirituality, can pawang hujan magically control the forces of nature? Or is their art just a continuation of historical rituals and practices? One thing is certain though: wet weddings and soaked golf-courses are no fun.