Circumcision ritual honors children

Text and Photos by Filomena Reiss

SUKABUMI, West Java (JP): Circumcision is one of the most important rites of passage in Indonesian Muslim communities, and a time for great celebration.

In the village of Cicemet in Cisolok, Sukabumi, there is an annual circumcision ceremony consisting of three days of nonstop cooking, blessings and entertainment. The village is situated in the foothills of Mount Halimun, surrounded by paddy fields and reached through rugged terrain.

Every community has its own time-honored manner for such ceremonies, and the Cicemet celebration held in September is typical of the Kasepuhan people of South Banten. Boys aged from six years to nine years and girls from two years to four years undergo the operation (female circumcision is today a controversial issue internationally. The method widely practiced in Indonesia, unlike that in some northern African and Middle Eastern countries, is relatively mild, consisting of a snip to the clitoris. Opponents argue, however, that there is no religious justification for female circumcision; advocates counter that it is hygienic and keeps girls from becoming binal, or promiscuous).

The village becomes a hive of activity for the ceremony. Rice is pounded, cakes baked and houses decorated. Special sedan chairs are prepared to parade the children through nearby villages, a three-hour journey over 10 kilometers.

Relatives from surrounding villages, often a five to six-hour walk away, come to the village to congratulate the children on the first day. They bring with them food and presents for the families, and also help in preparing for the big day.

The next day, the children and their parents visit elderly relatives and village elders to ask for their blessings. Relatives who offer uncooked food are given cooked fare in return.

On the third day the children are dressed in their finest clothing for the parade, which is led by the village head and heralded by musicians and clowns playing angklung (bamboo instruments). There were 12 different floats this year, with the children sitting alone or with their mothers. The procession stopped at the home of tribal elder Abah Anom where the children received presents from his wives.

The parade ended at the alun-alun (village square) where the local religious leader blessed the children. They were then taken to the river and, to the accompaniment of gongs and bamboo instruments, they were bathed by their parents.

In the evening the village was treated to entertainment of wayang golek (puppets) and three different groups of singers and jaipongan dancers. The village was alive all night with the merriment.

Big day

The music halted at 4 a.m. with the sound of women pounding rice in the public square, accompanied by the angklung and the gongs. The children were carried by their mothers to help pound the rice; the parents became involved in some light-hearted wrestling matches.

At 6 a.m the boys were marched down to the river for a quick cold bath in its crystal-clear waters. At the public square, the local medicine men prayed and prepared for the circumcision of the boys, which was performed without anesthetic. Curiously, mothers quieted their sons, even though the boys were well past infancy, by giving them a breast to suckle on.

The girls were then taken to the river to be bathed by two women midwives before being taken to the house of one of the women. The midwives then performed the girls' circumcision, which would likely be a gristly and shocking sight for foreigners. A razor was used to nick the girls' clitoris; after they bled, Rp 1,000 notes were applied to the cuts.

Half an hour later it was all over, with the parents and their children returning to their homes. It was a strangely subdued ending to what was a rich and fascinating insight into the circumcision tradition of one Sundanese village.

Getting There: Take a public bus from Jakarta or Bogor to Pelabuhan Ratu, transferring to an angkot (public minivan) for the two-hour ride to Cisadane. Then walk one kilometer to a small jeep depot; they ferry passengers to Cicemet, about a three-hour journey.

Bring with You: Food if you are a fussy eater (rice, chicken and other staples are available in the village); basic first aid and insect repellent; plus a lot of patience to deal with the lackadaisical jeep drivers (you go when they are ready).

Accommodation:Nothing formal to speak of but ask around for villagers who will be willing to open their homes for a short stay (a payment of Rp 10,000 will be sufficient).

Side Trip:Great trekking in Mount Halimun National Park.