'Gerebeg Besar,' a rite rich in religious meaning

'Gerebeg Besar,' a rite rich in religious meaning

By Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Since time immemorial, the
Javanese have been renowned for their rich variety of customs and
traditional ceremonies, which are mostly the acculturation of
indigenous and external cultures.

An example is the leather puppet shadow play, which is a
blending of ancient Javanese tradition and the Islamic culture
which arrived later and was propagated by Sunan Kalijaga.

Another example of this acculturation is Gerebeg Besar, a
traditional religious festival taking place in a major month on
the Javanese calendar, or in the month of Zulhijjah on the
Islamic Hijriah calendar. They are closely linked to Idul Adha
(the Islamic Day of Sacrifice), which fell this year on March 6.

Gerebeg refers to a festive occasion for the masses, in which
commoners have a chance to see their sultan, who performs a rite
outside the confines of the palace.

A public affairs officer of Surakarta's Hadiningrat Palace,
KTR Kalinggo Honggopuro, said Gerebeg Besar was an acculturation
of Islam and the Javanese tradition, which has its origin in
Hinduism. Hadiningrat is one of the palaces in the country where
the traditional Gerebeg Besar is still observed and preserved as
both an Islamic rite of Idul Adha and a Javanese traditional
custom.

An annual event, Gerebeg Besar is usually observed with a pair
of giant rice cones, usually called gunungan (literally "like
mountains") and served to preserve safety. Symbolizing fertility
the cones are called Gunungan Jaler (male) and Gunungan Estri
(female).

Gunungan Jaler consists of cone-shaped rice and side dishes, a
symbol of crops, while the other gunungan is made up of uniquely
Javanese snacks, known as baladan in Javanese, such as rangginan,
(a kind of snack made of glutinous rice), bread in the shape of
an elephant's ear, emping crackers, chips made of pounded rice
grains toasted and served with palm sugar.

Although Gerebeg Besar is held on Idul Adha, it does not
necessarily entail the slaughtering of cattle for the sacrifice.
For each royal family, the cattle slaughtering is conducted
separately from the rite.

Kalinggo said the festival is the same as other Gerebeg
ceremonies, like Gerebeg Pasa, which marks the Muslim fasting
month, and Gerebeg Mulud, in which the birth of Prophet Muhammad
is commemorated. These two other gerebeg also express gratitude
to God for safety and soil fertility. The three kinds of gerebeg
are identical in terms of their ritual procession.

After extensive preparation the gunungan will be placed in
the courtyard of the palace. Before it is taken to the Grand
Mosque, a rite is conducted by an administrative official of
Surakarta Palace. In this rite, only the code of conduct of the
palace prevails. As everything is in Javanese, the resulting
atmosphere is laden with mystical and ritualistic elements.

The two cones are then escorted in a parade led by palace
guards of various ranks. Following the soldiers are the royal
family, courtiers and officials, The last in line are high-
ranking courtiers who are assigned to carry the gunungan. The
procession moves in a military-like manner, accompanied by the
sound of the drums and flutes, lending great festivity to the
atmosphere. Locals flock to the roadside to witness the
procession.

The entire procession moves to the Grand Mosque of Surakarta,
to the west of the yard of the palace, a distance of about 500
meters. Upon arrival at the mosque, the palace ulema will read a
prayer for the offerings as a token to safeguard the ruler of
Surakarta and the entire nation.

At the peak of the rite, the cones are carried to the
courtyard of the mosque and it is here that the audience will vie
with one another for a piece of the rice cones. "The people hope
to get a piece of the cones as a symbol of blessings as the
materials to make the cones all came from the sultan," Kalinggo
said.

The ceremony's symbols are highly religious. According to
Kalinggo, the cone shape of the rice, the top being sharply-
pointed, signifies God the creator of the universe.

Vegetables signify this mortal world and all human needs. The
message is that apart from fulfilling his daily needs, man must
always be aware of the existence of God.

The ceremony is one of many Javanese traditional events that
have become institutionalized, an occasion closely linked to the
Islamic culture in Java. The palace is continuing the traditional
practices of earlier Islamic kingdoms in Java, like Demak, Pajang
and Mataram.