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.