Rite marks aristocrat girl's first menstruation

Rite marks aristocrat girl's first menstruation

By Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The traditional Javanese community believes
that from birth to death a human life is divided into phases,
each with its own significance that must be marked with a rite.

One such rite still practiced in the Yogyakarta palace is
known as a tarapan, which is performed to mark a girl's first
period. This rite is significant because this phase in a young
woman's life is believed to be fraught with temptations and
threats brought about by evil spirits or magic.

A rite, in which an offering is given to one's creator and
ancestors for their blessings, is therefore believed to be
necessary to ward off these evil influences. This rite also is
intended to mark a girl's entrance into adolescence from
childhood.

Within the palace, this rite is important for princesses and
is therefore proclaimed to all royal elders, relatives and
servants in an official announcement from the sultan.

The announcement is made after the sultan has been informed
that one of his daughters has had her first period. After
receiving the announcement, the royal elders and servants will
immediately prepare for the rite.

The ceremony requires pekobongan (a space with a white
mosquito net) for the bathing ceremony, a variety of traditional
herbal medicines, cosmetics and cosmetic kits, a piece of cloth
to be wrapped around the body of the young woman while bathing
and traditional costumes, spices for hair cleansing, a klenting
(large earthen pot) containing water over which a magic spell is
said, water containing several kinds of flowers and a variety of
offerings.

For a week before the rite, the princess for whom the ceremony
is performed is kept in seclusion in a special room. During this
time, the princess is not allowed to take a bath. Her body will
only be wiped with a piece of wet cloth. Her food and drink also
will be brought to her in the room. While in seclusion, the
princess' hair must be kept in a tight knot, tied with lawe
cotton string. During this time she must drink a traditional
concoction every day.

"I was also once kept in seclusion for three days but the
regulations were not as tight as they were before my time," said
the eldest daughter of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, Gusti Raden
Ajeng Nurmalitasari. The tarapan rite was performed for her when
she was 12.

According to Gusti Sari, the traditional seclusion of the
tarapan rite has been adjusted according to present
circumstances. "My siblings and I underwent this seclusion but it
was not as strict as it once was. During this time we went to
school but after school we were advised to stay home."

The tarapan rite begins in the seclusion room. The secluded
princess is taken by her mother and the royal elders to the
pekobongan room in the keputren. Before leaving the seclusion
room, the lawe string tying her hair in a knot is undone,
allowing the hair to flow freely.

Arriving at the pekobongan, the princess enters the room and
sits on a chair placed on a mat for the bathing ritual. Her
mother will start to bathe her, followed by the female royal
elders. On this occasion, various types of traditional
concoctions are used to clean the princess' body and hair.
Finally, the water from a klenting will be poured over her.

After the bathing ritual, the girl is taken to the keputren
where someone will apply her makeup. Before the makeup is
applied, she is asked to drink godhokan, a traditional herbal
medicine. "This traditional herbal medicine is very bitter. Many
kinds of spices are mixed and then boiled .... As this is a
requirement, we simply drank the whole thing despite its bad
taste," said Gusti Sari.

Then the princess is made up and dons a traditional costume of
royal grandeur. Afterward, accompanied by her mother and other
relatives, she goes to the sultan's residence for the ngabekten
rite.

Arriving at the residence, she squats close to where the
sultan is seated to pay her respects to the sultan, known as
Sungkem or Ngabekten. The princess kneels, kisses the right knee
of the sultan and then retreats, still in the same position.

This ngabekten rite marks the end of the tarapan ceremony. The
ritual is closed with a thanksgiving and a prayer for happiness
and prosperity by the keparak royal servants. The sultan then
dines with his guests.