Cultural festival marks Fishermen's Day jubilee
Cultural festival marks Fishermen's Day jubilee
By Mulkan Salmona
PELABUHAN RATU, Sukabumi, West Java (JP): A sea of small, big, old and young people packed the usually quiet street in Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java. They made a human fence, some standing, others squatting along the road, patiently waiting for the annual fishermen's festival to start. As the morning sun slowly rose in the sky, turning the gentle morning rays into a stinging bite, the onlookers became drenched in perspiration.
Just as their patience began to grow thin, a group of young dancers appeared from the end of Jl. Siliwangi, their bright yellow and green outfits shining in the dazzling morning light. Right behind them were their elderly and handsome guards in traditional Sundanese attire. The guards escorted the "King" and "Queen", both dressed in royal Sundanese garb, as the regal pair rode in a delman (horse cart) decorated to look like a royal carriage. The procession also included servants carrying tandu (litters) full of offerings.
The sea of humans cheered when they saw the procession, their anxious faces turned bright and, without prompting, started to clap to welcome the grand procession. The quiet morning of April 6 turned into a storm of joyful shouts and cheers.
The occasion was for local fishermen, in fact all fishermen in the archipelago, to celebrate Fishermen's Day.
A group of musicians played the angklung, drums, tambourines, a trumpet and a trombone. There were also a group of kuda lumping (horse dancers) and debus players performing in a trance. The latter showed off their invulnerability by slicing their throats and tongues with machetes without leaving any marks on their bodies. The scene drew various responses from the crowd. Some cried in fear, others stood still, entranced by what they saw, and quite a few loved it so much they shouted for more.
The procession moved slowly from the park in front of the Pelabuhan Ratu regency office to the parking lot of the fish market, where the festival to mark the 35th Fishermen's Day was held.
According to Zaenal Muttaqin, secretary of the organizing committee, this year's festival drew a bigger crowd than it did last year. And, unlike in the past, this year's celebrations were initiated solely by the fishermen. In previous years, the government had never been able to organize the festival to start on April 6, the official Fishermen's Day.
"We intend to start the festival every April 6 in the future," assured Zaenal.
This year's program was also more varied. Aside from the procession, there was a thanksgiving gathering on the evening of April 5 where the fishermen prayed and threw a buffalo's head to the sea.
"We also provided financial aid to the poor fishermen, held a mass circumcision program and a lot of games," explained Zaenal.
A sudden rain shower failed to disturb the crowd, especially since a traditional Sundanese singer was chanting to the accompaniment of the gamelan. Nobody wanted to miss the beautiful melodies.
The West Java's Regional Secretary, Ukman Sutaryan, then gave the sign for the offerings to be brought to the motor boats that would carry them out to sea. The offerings were an expression of the fishermen's gratitude to Mother Nature who had allowed them to go to the sea to earn their livelihood.
The people left the parking lot and one by one entered the boats. When everybody was ready, the 50 boats started off.
They arrived at the appointed spot when the sun was right on top of their heads. They slowly threw the offerings into the sea, including the giant turtle which looked free and happy when it touched the water.
The festival's link with Islam, which does not recognize such rituals, had been questioned, but a member of the organizing committee asserted that, "This is not a religious ceremony, but a cultural event which needs to be preserved."
Back on land there were more activities. There was wayang, dangdut and films. The festival ended on Sunday with a mass prayer led by preachers from Jakarta and Bandung.
As the boats were heading toward land, a voice was heard singing a fisherman's song made popular on the radio:
Gula lagumu suara nelayan
berayun-ayun laju, berayun-ayun laju
Gula lagumu suara nelayan
berayun-ayun laju, berayun-ayun laju