Rite gives spiritual strenght to babies
Rite gives spiritual strenght to babies
By Tarko Sudiarno
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Javanese strongly believe in rites of
passage, purification rituals which will give them spiritual
strength in entering every phase of their lives.
Thedak siten, one of the most important of the early rites of
passages, is performed when a baby reaches seven months old
according to the Javanese calendar, in which a month is
equivalent to 35 days.
The word tedhak literarily means stepping, while siten or siti
means soil. Thus, the ceremony denotes the occasion when a baby
treads on the ground for the first time.
The Javanese people live in the cosmos -- Earth, or ibu
pertiwi, and the sky or bapak angkasa. The rite symbolically
means the baby's first physical contact with the Earth.
Today, only a few people are able to perform the ritual
because of time and financial constraints. But the Yogyakarta
Palace still holds regular performances as a tourist attraction.
Prince Joyokusumo, a brother of the Yogyakarta Sri Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X, puts on the ceremony in a tourist package
including lunch or dinner.
The ceremony is usually held on the morning of the baby's
weton, or date of birth on the Javanese calendar, or his
father's.
At Yogyakarta Palace, the ceremony is performed on the
sultan's weton and takes place in the Kaputren, one of the
palace's compounds for princesses and royal women.
The women and courtiers prepare a stack of offerings which
consist of yellow rice, traditional cakes, colorful rice
porridge, nasi gudangan (rice with mixed vegetables), cassava and
sweet potatoes, and yellow coconut leaves. They also set out a
number of ritual instruments like a cage for a rooster, a ladder
made of sugarcane stalks, bronze coins and gold jewelry.
All the offerings and ceremonial instruments have symbolic
meanings.
The cage symbolizes the cosmic world where people live. It
also personifies a spiritual barrier that shields the baby from
bad omens. The ladder, made of black sugarcane or tebu wulung
represents the steps of life and strength.
Coins and jewelry symbolize wealth. Cotton and rice symbolize
clothes and food. The colorful cakes portrays the life of people
who will undergo various encounters.
The first part of the ceremony starts when the mother holding
her baby enters the ritual site.
The baby is then led to walk on top of the seven colorful
cakes placed on the mat. The baby is then guided to step on the
ladder in the hope that the baby can achieve all of his dreams.
The baby is put inside the cage and then guided to pick one of
the toys, pencils, pens, jewelry, coins and other items.
If the baby takes a pencil or a pen, he will become clever. If
the coins and jewelry are taken, he is destined to become rich.
The last procession occurs when water and flowers are poured
on the baby to symbolically purify the physical and spiritual
being. The parents, family members and guests end the ceremony
with prayer and the presentation of the cone-shaped yellow rice
tumpeng robyong and traditional cakes.