Ruwatan, a tradition breaking a bad streak

Ruwatan, a tradition breaking a bad streak

By Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The giant, Batara Kala, became angry as he
ordered two small children to be killed. The children looked weak
and frightened. But the man-eating giant ran after them, no
matter where they hid.

The scene of Betara Kala wanting to kill and eat a brother and
sister in a wayang shadow puppet show in Bantul, near Yogyakarta,
was suspenseful and looked intensely real.

The show, performed by Ki Timbul Hadiprayitno, a famous dalang
(puppeteer) hypnotized the audience, especially a boy who was
sitting behind the screen.

The boy, almost 10 years old, looked pale and was quietly
leaning against a banana tree trunk which was holding the leather
puppets.

It wasn't obvious whether he was following the wayang story,
but the boy, who was flanked by his parents, was waiting for
something.

Soon the show was over. Then dalang Timbul lifted the bottom
of the screen and the boy's head was showing. The dalang slowly
cut the boy's hair with a pair of scissors while chanting a
mantra. The cut hair was put on a piece of cloth with a bunch of
flowers meant as an offering for the spirits. The hair and the
offering were then wrapped up.

The rite is called ruwatan, a traditional ceremony held by
believers of the Javanese tradition. Ruwatan has religious values
and is intended to cleanse sins or undesired peculiarities that
people carry from their birth.

A member of a Javanese family who has an unwanted peculiarity
is called "Sukerto", meaning unclean and they must be spiritually
cleansed by ruwatan so that they can be freed from disasters.

Sukerto includes, among others, Anak ontang-anting (the single
male child in the family); Anak unting-unting (the single female
child); Anak Gedhana-Gedhini (two boys and two girls in the
family); Anak Uger-uger Lawang) (two boys in the family); Anak
Kembang Sepasang (two girls in the family); Anak Pendawa (five
males in the family); Anak Pendawi (five girls in the family);
and Anak Ipil-Ipil (four girls and the youngest boy).

Besides the Sukarto, persons requiring ruwatan are those who
have made specific "mistakes", such as letting a rice cooker fall
when cooking rice; tapping the sap of aren (sugar palm) tree
without using a ladder; building a house by installing the roof
but forgetting to install the tutup keong (ridge); cutting bamboo
not at the joint without breaking the bamboo; peeling coconuts
but forgetting to lay down a crowbar; crushing herbal
ingredients for making medicines by accidentally breaking the
crushing stone; and walking at noon without humming.

Sukerto, according to traditional beliefs, brings about
misfortunes and victims become the prey of Betara Kala, the son
of Betara Guru, the highest god in heaven. It is said Betara Kala
is a child-eating giant, but his father, Betara Guru, told him
not to terrify or just eat human beings at will. The people that
may be killed are Sukertos only.

With the Ruwatan ceremony, Sukerto people are freed from the
power of misfortune.

"Normally, after undergoing the Ruwatan ceremony, families
having children of Sukerto will be released from their burdens,"
said well-known cultural expert Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung (KRT)
Suryanto Sastroatmojo.

Lessons

According to Suryanto, the ruwatan ceremony is especially
designed for Sukerto people because of the specific mistakes they
have made, and contains lessons. The values contained therein
are, among other things, used for footholds in daily life so
that people may not make errors.

For example, one should not put a crowbar down at will after
using it to harvest coconuts, because it could harm people
passing by. Likewise, a person is forbidden to leave their
kitchen when cooking rice, because the rice cooker can fall off
the surface and cause a fire.

These teachings are for the good of people, but they are so
wrapped up by our ancestors as to remind people not to make
mistakes and eventually inflict harm on others", said Suryanto
Sastroatmojo who received a nobility degree from Surakarta the
king.

The ruwatan ceremony is a tradition characterized by a series
of specific ceremonies and has magical and religious properties.
A series of processions is characterized by a leather puppet
shadow show, with the story Murwakala, and is continued by the
hair cutting ceremony, a bathing ceremony, and the sowing of
Udik-udik (coins and flowers).

For this ceremony, various tributes and special conditions
during the show are required. The various tributes to be provided
are, among other things, different kinds of batik such as Kain
Truntum, Kain Gadhung Mlati, Kain Selendang Tuluh Watu, Kain
Selendang Dringin, Kain Selendang Sulur Angin, Kain Selendang
Semen Mori, Kain Poleng and Bagor Kendheng.

Apart from them, there are pillows and Dutch pillows, various
kinds of women's makeup, strong drinks and cigars, seven types of
coned rice, several kinds of winged creatures, agricultural
equipment, kitchen utensils and various crops.

The process of the ceremony begins by the handing over of a
child to the dalang. Then the puppet show follows and at the end
of the story a special mantra is uttered.

Thereafter, Ki Dalang cuts the hair of the child who is
Sukerto in the midst of the screen and puppets, followed by the
bathing of the child with water taken from seven wells. The
ceremony ends with the reading of thanksgiving prayers and the
sowing of udik-udik as a sign of the release of karma or stains
from the child Sukerto.