Betawi culture to highlight first ever street festival
Betawi culture to highlight first ever street festival
This is the last of two articles on the upcoming Jaksa Fair written by Lenah Susianty.
JAKARTA (JP): The forthcoming three-day Jaksa Fair, the first street festival ever held in the city, will feature Jakarta's native Betawi culture.
The fair aims to promote tourism industry in the street and to revive the old Betawi culture.
To start on Friday, the fair is organized by the Association of Jl. Jaksa's Tourism Industry Organizers (IKJS) in cooperation with the Municipal Tourism Office, and is planned to become an annual event.
"Currently, tourists' average staying period in Jl. Jaksa is only two to three days because they use Jakarta only as a transit point, "T.Ismoejanto Sk, deputy chairman of the organizing committee, said here Monday. "With the fair, we hope they can extend their staying period to more than three days and in the future we hope to use this event to attract more tourists."
"We also want to highlight the Betawi culture because this city is the hometown of the Betawi whose culture nears extinction," said program coordinator Ukke Kosasih. "Many people living in Jakarta for years still do not know the culture and even the Betawi artists cannot keep performing because they do not have enough funds to finance their activities."
Programs
The programs of the fair to be presented by Betawi artists are:
* Ondel-ondel: A couple of giant puppets usually designed to welcome special guests or simply to act as guards of a carnival.
Experts believe their role is not just as mascots of a carnival as they also symbolize the Betawi's ancestors who guard their descendants in their village.
The male ondel-ondel represents the tough guy from the old days of Betawi. Its stiff, black mustache and bright red face is intended to show how strong-hearted he is. The female one looks as stiff, her white face meant to reflect her pure and innocent personality.
Most ondel-ondels are 2.5 meters high and 80 centimeters in diameter.
* Krontjong Toegoe: In the 1930s, keroncong music was very popular. And somehow, well-liked keroncong singers were called buaya keroncong or the stars of keroncong. Until today there are places which still retain their dedication to this kind of music and are known for keroncong bands. One is the Tugu area in Cilincing, North Jakarta. Tugu residents are mostly of Portuguese descent and they have a keroncong group known as Krontjong Toegoe.
The origin of keroncong, like any other Betawi music, is from anywhere but Betawi. It is believed that the music was originally Portuguese and played on boats in a river or from house to house on Christmas. Portuguese nuances are very strong in this music.
Its instruments are the violin, ukulele, mandolin, guitar and cello; its lyrics: kaparinyo and moresco; and even the costumes of the band members (with scarves around their necks) are still reflecting the Portuguese origin.
* Tanjidor : In the 18th century, when Jakarta became bigger and the Dutch landlords who lived in the capital were forced to move to Cibinong and Citeureup (in the southern outskirts of Jakarta, near Bogor city), Tanjidor musical groups began to shape up.
Tanjidor musicians used a lot of wind instruments such as the tuba, trumpet and trombone and played waltz and march music with songs in Dutch. However, they had a very significant Betawi soul and later they started to play also Malay music such as Surilang and Jali-jali. The Tanjidor groups were previously dominated by male musicians. Only recently did they start to invite female masked dancers to dance along with their music.
The Tanjidor groups were also associated with the Chinese Lunar New Year (usually takes place in January or February). One week before the lunar new year or on the New Year's Day a lot of Tanjidor groups from Bekasi or Tangerang made a many trips to Chinese areas in Greater Jakarta. Sometimes they traveled even to farther areas such as Sukabumi and Bogor in West Java. They performed door-to-door (in exchange for money) or at special venues. Usually these traveling musical groups consisted of less than five persons and were all male.
During the fair, we will see performances by the Pusaka Putra Mayang Sari group chaired by Marta.
* Gambang Kromong: When Chinese males began to settle on this land in the 17th century, they started to search for entertainment since most of them came here without their spouses. They then tried to introduce their music to Betawi musicians. The result is Gambang Kromong with its very mixed Chinese and Betawi musical instruments. To mention a few are the gong and gendang mixed with ningnong and kongahyan which is similar to the Chinese violin.
The music was very popular among the Betawi-Chinese high society. It was played in parties and during Cap Go Meh festival (a Chinese ritual ceremony where people paraded around statues of gods from Chinese temples). Chinese repertoires were its main menu, including the Go Nio rindu (Go Nio Misses Someone), Thio Kong Len (a Chinese name) and Engko si Baba (Baba's Older Brother).
Chinese
Until early this century, Gambang Kromong songs were still in Chinese.
* Rebana Ketimpring: To most Betawi, Islam is not merely a religion. It is also a way of life and art. Rebana ketimpring is one of the Islamic arts of Betawi. It is performed at wedding ceremonies, circumcision parties, celebration of newborns and the like.
Rebana ketrimping is a musical group consisting of three persons whose job is to accompany the bride and bridegroom, or a boy who is about to be circumcised. The musicians usually play giant rebana of around 20-25 centimeters in diameter or a hand- held tambourine and sing lyrics cited from the Koran or stories set around the birth of Prophet Mohammad.
* Topeng Betawi: This is probably the most unimpaired art of Betawi. There is music, dance, song, play and comedy all in one show. The artists' make-up, their hip movements, their witty humor, and the play of words and show of magic reflect its down- to-earth character. The dance is performed at the beginning of the show, and the rest takes a theater form. Most of the stories are about the colonial era in the 1920s to 1950s. A special character, known locally as Bapak Janthuk and who always wears a mask, usually appears in the closing act. He speaks words of wisdom in an amusing way.
* Lenong Denes: When the Malays came to Sunda Kelapa (the old Jakarta port) in the 17th century, they brought along with them a new form of theater called Durmuluk. The Betawi adopted the art and called it Lenong Denes which probably originated from the Dutch dienst, meaning official or formal.
Lenong Denes is a kind of opera, with its chanted dialogs accompanied by Gambang kromong music. The artists wear prince- like costumes since their stories are based on tales of the One Thousand and One Nights tale.
As of today, there are only three groups of Lenong Denes in Jakarta. Lack of artists and the expensive costumes have hampered the development of this popular theater.
The Jaksa Fair will present one of the surviving groups named Jali Putra, headed by Rojali or Jali Jalut.
* Panjat Pinang (climbing oily tree): This is a popular game among children and adults. An oil-polished, 20-meter high skinned palm tree is erected in the middle of a lawn. Anyone can take part in this game. Prizes are hung on the top of the tree.
Lenong
* Lenong Rumpi: Actually, Lenong Rumpi is the name of a group which has modernized the traditional lenong or Betawi theater by inserting daily urban life anecdotes and settings. Members of this group are popular singers, musicians, models, fashion designers and movie actors and actresses. The group is well-known now because of its regular performances on the private television station RCTI.
* Sahibul Hikayat: The Betawis adopt this storytelling art from the Malays. Most of the stories are Persian and Egyptian delivered in a witty and humorous style all night long.
Until today, Sahibul Hikayat is still very popular among the people of Kemayoran, Kebon Sirih, Salemba and Tanah Abang areas in Central Jakarta. The most well-known and well-liked living story teller is Achmad Sopiyan Zahid who will exhibit his talents at the fair.
* Rancak: This is another storytelling art which is almost forgotten. With Gambang Kromong music in the background, a couple of storytellers improvise and recite poems. It is different from Sahibul Hikayat in that it originally came from China and the stories are Chinese ones, including Sam Pek Eng Thay or the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet.
Rancak tellers spend about eight hours delivering a story. They also have to use the right gestures, expressions and sometimes perform mimes as well. That is the reason good stamina is needed to be a good rancak teller.
Dance
* Sembah Nyai: Guests are very special persons and have to be treated as such. That is how the Betawi and most Indonesians receive visitors. This Sembah Nyai dance is to express their gratitude towards the guests. At the end of the show, accompanied by Samrah music in the background, a dancer offers betel leaf, a symbol of relationship, to the guests.
* Ngarojeng : This is a relatively new dance, created in 1989 by choreographer Wiwiek Widyastuti. It is strongly influenced by Sundanese and Balinese music and inspired by a pair of sacred Gamelan ajeng which is played only at certain occasions. The motions in the dance are expressions of appreciation of the Betawi towards Gamelan ajeng.
* Topeng Gong: This is another creation of Wiwiek Widyastuti. She crossed Betawi mask art with gong, both are well known among the Betawi.
* Lambang sari: This dance is inspired by Bapak Janthuk, a well-known character of topeng Betawi (Betawi mask). In lambang sari, the masked character, Bapak Janthuk, teaches his kid to sing and dance. However, he also gets angry when he finds his wife is not at home.
* Bada'Hattam: Koran reading or Ngaji is one of important aspects for the Betawi. The dance expresses the romanticism of learning to read the Koran.
* Penganten sunat or circumcised bridegroom: To most Betawi, every stage of life has its own meaning and ritual, especially when it is related to religion - Islam. Circumcision, which is the symbol of the beginning of a boy's life as an adult, is usually celebrated by making a procession with the boy around the village.
A penganten sunat or a boy to be circumcised has to wear a kind of Middle East/Arabian outfit. He rides a horse or other vehicle, accompanied by ondel-ondel and music of rebana, making a tour around the village.
* Belenggo: A dance which is believed to originate from West Java. The gestures are based on a traditional martial art called pencak silat.
* Marawis: A procession with rebana as its main musical companion. The procession is influenced strongly by the Arabic culture and is usually only known among the Betawi of Arabic origin.
* Ronggeng: It was previously a dance for one person, but gradually it was performed by two. The gestures totally depend on the rhythm of the music and the gong. Its comical gestures are its highlights.
* The making of Purnam: Paper lanterns or purnam is usually used to decorate Betawi parties and celebrations. It has various forms, circular, triangular and rectangular.
* Kembang kelapa and sirih nanas: Kembang Kelapa banners are used as decorations in wedding and circumcision ceremonies, while sirih nanas (pineapple betel) is used as a wedding dowry. When asking for a girl's hand, the family of the groom should bring betel which is arranged in the form of pineapple. Sirih nanas symbolizes the sweet part of life which has many obstacles, but the couple can survive with great understanding between them.
Programs:
Friday, Aug.5
* 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Opening ceremony by Jakarta's Governor Surjadi Soedirdja at Si Pitung tower (a traditional Betawi house erected across the Jl. Jaksa for this special occasion) with a procession of Ondel-ondel, Rebana Ketimpring, Sembah Nyai and fireworks. * 8:30p.m.-9:30 Gambang Kromong - Stage III * 7:30 - 7:45 Ondel-ondel * 7:30 - 9:30 demonstration of the making of Purnam traditional paper lanterns. * 7:45 - 8:15 Bada'hattam - Stage II * 9:00 - 11:00 Sahibul Hikayat - stage I
Saturday, Aug.6
* 4:00p.m.- 4:30 p.m. Ondel-ondel * 4:00 - 6:00 demonstration of the making of kembang kelapa or banner of coconut tree leaves and sirih nanas or wedding dowry * 4:30 - 5:00 Lambang sari - Stage I * 5:00 - 5:15 Ronggeng - Stage II * 6:30 - 6:45 Topeng gong - Stage II * 7:00 - 7:30 Ondel-ondel * 7:30 - 8:30 Gambang kromong - Stage III * 7:00 - 9:00 demonstration of kembang kelapa and sirih nanas * 8:30 - 10:30 Lenong denes - Stage I * 8:30 - 9:30 Rancak - Stage III *10:00 -12:00 a.m. Layar tancep (outdoor movie): Si Pitung and Mat Pelor
Sunday, Aug.7
* 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.Ondel-ondel * 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Demonstration of Purnam making * 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. Games * 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Angklung by the Nichiren Syosyu Indonesia * 1:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.Tanjidor * 2:00 - 2:30 Ngarojeng - Stage I * 3:00 - 5:00 Demonstration of Purnam making * 4:00 - 5:30 Keroncong toegoe - Stage III * 4:30 - 5:30 Topeng Betawi - Stage I * 7:00 - 7:30 Tanjidor * 7:00 - 9:00 Demonstration of Purnam making * 7:30 - 8:00 Belenggo - Stage I * 8:00 - 9:00 Marawis * 8:30 p.m- 9:30 Lenong Rumpi - Stage I