Asking for rain through rituals and art
Asking for rain through rituals and art
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Under the reddish sky of the late afternoon, dozens of women and
girls clad in modest traditional Javanese outfits stood in a line
in an alley in Nitiprayan artists kampong (village) in
Ngestiharjo, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta province.
Wearing a caping (a traditional bamboo hat worn by farmers),
each of the women carried a bamboo basket containing various food
and they started to march slowly. Behind them was a Javanese-
style barongsai (dragon dance) group with a head of dragon made
of coconut fibers.
They walked solemnly towards the nearby barren rice field that
is dry as it has not rained for quite a long time. The area has
been turned into an arena where they hold an event called Kenduri
Rakyat Minta Hujan or The Folk Festival to Ask for the Rain,
which ends on Saturday.
Javanese children's songs like Jamuran and various traditional
music like kroncong played by Sanggar Blumbang Garing (Dried Well
Troupe) of Nitriprayan, shalawatan and tunes from bamboo music
instruments were heard.
A bamboo stage was built in the rice field, where offerings
were placed.
"The land has been dry for months and we cannot plant
anything. Through this ritual we want to pray to God to bless us
with the rain," Niti Sastro, 58, a local resident told The
Jakarta Post.
The ceremony began with a prayer from a woman acting as Dewi
Sri, the Goddess of Rice, who walked around and touched the women
and girls participating in the parade one by one.
"It is expected that the Almighty will bless the food they are
carrying," Niti Sastro said.
The ritual continued with a dance performed by three girls who
also read a mantra asking for rain. They picked up a handful of
rice from the offerings and spread them round the rice field
while bamboo music instruments and traditional drums were played.
The woman playing the role as Dewi Sri later presented the
offerings to the God of Rain by placing them at a selected spot.
When darkness falls, about 700 kerosene lamps were lit up,
illuminating the location like thousands of fireflies within the
darkness that enveloped Nitiprayan.
According to Ong Harry Wahyu, a figure in the kampong, the
ritual was held to promote the cultural spirit of the ancestors
through the preservation of the tradition.
He also said the ceremony was a response to end the drought.
"Farmers are in deep misery because they cannot grow the
plants as the land is dry," he said.
The festival organized by Blumbang Garing Group presents,
among other things, a discussion on the concept of the art
kampong, a children's drawing exhibition and various folk art
programs. A ketoprak (Javanese play) will close the event on
Saturday, starting at 8 a.m.
Bantul Regent Idham Samawi, who attended the opening ceremony,
said that such an art concept that was based on reality was
needed for the development of the nation. He also underlined the
need for the younger generation to promote traditional art, which
he regarded as valuable capital for the future.
"This will shape the character of the younger generation.
Without such a character, the nation will never improve. The
nation will be colonized by the foreign tradition and culture,
which will erode our noble tradition. We will just follow them
without the ability to decide our identity," he said.
At least 500 locals, children and old people alike, watched
the ceremony. They crowded the alley and the rice field where the
event was held, hoping that the rain will soon come.