Lampora Tradition on the Slopes of the Kendeng Mountains: Torch Circles Illuminate Suro Night

Residents carried torches forming a circle during the Lampora tradition as part of the Jamasan Kendeng procession on the slopes of the Kendeng Mountains in Gadudero Village, Sukolilo District, Pati, Central Java, on Monday (22/6/2026). The Jaringan Masyarakat Peduli Pegunungan Kendeng (JM-PPK) organises this cultural tradition, featuring art performances and prayers, every month of Suro in the Javanese calendar. It symbolises self-purification and the cleansing of nature, as well as an expression of gratitude for sustenance, while also serving as a campaign for environmental conservation and a rejection of the destruction of nature in the Kendeng Mountains, which stretch from Central Java to East Java. A group of residents performed a drama titled ‘Dewi Kunti Menjaga Ibu Bumi’ (Dewi Kunti Protecting Mother Earth) during the Jamasan Kendeng tradition. Members of the Wiji Kendeng Community, a youth group from the Sedulur Sikep (followers of the Samin teachings), pounded a lesung (rice mortar) with alu (pestles) as part of the procession.