In rural Madura, marriage is a God-given joy
In rural Madura, marriage is a God-given joy
Text and photos by Zoel Mistortoify
MADURA, East Java (JP): In rural Madura a wedding celebration
is generally held in a period of prosperity, that is, during
harvest time, preferably coinciding with a bulan baik (propitious
month) -- which are the months of Are Raja, Molod, Rejeb, Rebba.
A joyful celebration, it is customarily an occasion where people
flaunt their wealth. Often, poor villagers hold a wedding for
their children thanks to a successful tobacco harvest and
financial assistance from relatives or neighbors.
Madurese people believe there's a correlation between the dry
season, harvest time, a propitious month and a wedding. According
to a popular old saying, the nights are cold in the dry season --
an enjoyable time for newlyweds and thus the best season for
weddings. There's no scientific confirmation of this, but
Madurese villagers take it into consideration when they marry
their children.
In a wedding celebration it is the family of the bride who
pays for everything, including entertainment. During a wedding
party, which usually lasts a day and two nights, the bride's
family will offer the guests gamelan saronen (music for the
bridal procession), topeng dalang (masked wayang show narrated by
a puppeteer), klenengan (Traditional madurese music) and tayuban.
A rich man who wants to throw a great party will engage
various groups of artists, or one that is versatile. One such
group is the Rukun Karya Baru from Lenteng subdistrict, which
plays three times a week during the festive season (harvest
time). The group has a repertoire of three types of performance:
gamelan saronen; ludruk (East Java popular theater); and tayuban
orchestra. They play for customers as far away as eastern Java
where part of the local community is from Madura.
A marriage ceremony according to adat (custom) in East Madura
villages is marked by the procession of the bridegroom along the
village road to the house of the bride. The bridegroom rides a
jharan kenca (decorated horse) to the accompaniment of joyful
music. Sometimes the bridal procession stretches for several
kilometers, making the rounds of the village, so that the whole
community knows about the event.
The bridegroom's group is usually accompanied by a spokesman
who opens the way for the group's acceptance in the bride's
family. Though it is only an adat formality, a heated debate
often takes place between the two sides, using figurative
language, each side trying to trump the other. As a sign of
"acceptance" into the bride's circle, the gamelan saronen is
played simultaneously with sarka'an (gebyar) music, a symbolic
expression of joy.
To show how serious his intentions are, the bridegroom offers
up clothes, foodstuffs and household equipment (cupboards, a
settee, a bed, etc.) and cattle. If the marriage is dissolved,
the goods are taken back by the husband. In Madurese tradition
the bride provides the house and the bridegroom supplies the
furniture and is responsible for the family's welfare.
The cultural phenomenon shows that marriage is the most
important initiation in a man's life. Its value is sacred and
must be considered a God-given joy. No one can taint, let alone
destroy, the institution that has been legitimized by custom,
religion and law.
The Madurese defend their honor fanatically. One of the
consequences of any violation is the carok -- a fight that
usually ends with knives drawn. The uncompromising attitude of
the Madurese is usually triggered by an insult against a
marriage, their most sensitive social institution.
The writer is an observer of Madurese culture. At present he is
conducting postgraduate studies at Gadjah Mada University in
Yogyakarta.