JP/17/GUMBRE

JP/17/GUMBRE

'Gumbregan' shows the cow is a man's best friend

Bambang M
Contributor/Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta

For most people in Gunungkidul, some 40 kilometers southeast of
Yogyakarta, cows are as important as their neighbors or friends.

Cows are considered assets that can see them through difficult
times, such as a drought or harvest failure.

Cow dung, too, is a good organic fertilizer that does not
harden the soil like chemical fertilizers.

So important is the cow to local people that they express
their thanks for its health through a ritual. It is an old ritual
but still practiced today, particularly in the hamlet of Kuarasan
Tengah in Kedungkeris village, Nglipar. The tradition is called
gumbregan.

Held once every eight months, the ritual take its name from
wuku gumbreg (the 30 seven-day periods that make up the 210-day
Javanese calendar). It is usually held in the evening on a Selasa
Wage or Kamis Legi day.

Although other villagers in the region no longer perform the
ritual, the people of Kuarasan Tengah dare not stop.

"We are afraid of the (spiritual) consequence," said Bikan,
whose house recently became the venue for performing the ritual
this time around.

Most of the people in Kuarasan Tengah believe that if they
miss the ritual, albeit just once, their livestock will suffer
the consequences.

"The cows might die of a disease, be badly injured
while bathing in the river, or slip on a rock and drown," Bikan
explained.

On the agreed day of the ritual, cow owners usually begin to
gather at the set venue in the evening at about 6 p.m. They bring
with them tumpeng (rice cone with vegetables and side dishes), as
well as their cows.

"In the past we used to serve uwi, gembili and other foods
too," said Bikan.

Uwi and gembili are two kinds of tubers that are becoming more
and more difficult to find at present as less people are
cultivating them.

The tumpeng are placed in the middle of the venue where the
ritual is to be performed. All farmers who have cows, along with
their family members, including the children, are present.

Some housewives, mostly those whose husbands work outside the
village, represent their menfolk. Those who do not own a cow are
also invited, making the occasion all the merrier.

Sitting cross-legged, they surround the tumpeng
placed on a layer of teakwood leaves. The host opens the ritual
with a few words and then invites the appointed village elder,
Mbah (Grandfather) Suwito Mulyono to come forward and lead the
ritual.

In his prayer spoken in "high" Javanese, Suwito says that the
tumpeng are presented to Prophet Sulaiman (a prophet in Islam who
was believed to have the power to speak with animals), the sacred
spirits guarding the village and the plants, and their ancestors
as an expression of gratitude for the health of their animals. He
then continues the prayer in Arabic and ends it in about 15
minutes.

At this stage, small portions of foods are taken from each of
the tumpeng, before they are taken back home by those who
assembled them. The tumpeng are then distributed to villagers who
could not attend the ritual or could not bring their own tumpeng.

"Years ago, we used to eat together at the ritual site. All
were happy because they had the chance to eat rice," Bikan
explained.

When he was still a little boy, he said, gaplek or dried
cassava was the staple food for people in the region. Rice was a
luxury then, but people have since switched to growing rice
rather than tubers.

During the ritual, owners also feed their cows rice to
symbolize their respect for the animals, including Bikan in this
case.

He took a portion of a tumpeng, placed it on a palm leaf, and
fed it to one of his calfs.

"Here, you eat this. I wish you good health and fertility --
and that you grow up big and strong," Bikan said in Javanese
while gently stroking the calf's head.

He took another portion of rice and gave it to his goats. No
animal is actually excluded from the ritual, it is just that most
farmers in the area have cows.

Families here usually keep only one or two cows at a time.
Mostly they are not willing to take the risk of being unable to
feed them during the dry season, if they have more.

Local farmers also consider wuku gumbreg, which lasts for
seven days, as the best time to buy livestock. This accounts for
why the price of cows and other animals in the region increases
significantly around wuku gumbreg.

"People here believe that animals bought during wuku gumbreg
will grow up big and healthy," Larmi, a local housewife said.