Ruwatan protects children against misfortune

Text and photos by Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): The Javanese believe that if you have a single child, boy or girl, you must be on the alert against possible dangers.

Your child's life and future may be in jeopardy. Furthermore, she or he may bring misfortune to your family and the neighborhood as well.

According to Javanese tradition, this boy or girl is called sukerto, or ill-fated child. People who have two boys or twins, four sons and a daughter, or four daughters and a son should also be watchful because their children belong to the sukerto group. Five sons (Pandawa Lima) or five daughters in a family are likewise regarded as "unlucky offspring combinations."

It is believed that these "ill-fated children" will continually face serious predicaments unless they undergo a special "rite of passage" to purify them.

No one but the Javanese people are able to comprehend or feel frightened by this "threat." What can be done to avoid this danger of an ill-fated future?

Holding a special ceremony called ruwatan, a purification rite to rid a child of evil spirits, may be the solution.

H. Karkono K. Partokusumo, an expert on Javanology, explained that ruwatan is regarded as an important ritual for Javanese people to protect both children and family against harmful influences, which, in turn, will bring prosperity to all.

Ruwatan is a prerequisite for those who believe in tradition, he said. "It is a parent's duty to hold this ceremony, otherwise they will feel unhappy their entire life," Karkono explained.

However, he admitted there is no guarantee that a child who has undergone a ruwatan ceremony will be free from any hazard. The ceremony is actually an expression of people's submission to God in the hope that He will remove any ill-omens from a child's life.

Mass ceremony

Ruwatan is performed through a series of processions. A large variety of offerings are needed for the ceremony, with a wayang kulit performance an obligatory item to complete the rite. It is obvious that this complicated ceremony requires large amounts of cash.

Rich people frequently hold lavish ceremonies inviting hundreds of guests and famous dalang, puppet masters, to perform the shadow puppet show. On the other hand, the less fortunate families have to wait for years to realize their plan. Such financial problems have encouraged many organizations to hold a mass ruwatan ceremony.

The Yogyakarta stand at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in East Jakarta, for instance, organized such a mass ruwatan ceremony on the first day of the Islamic and Javanese lunar calendars, which fell on June 11 this year.

The ceremony involved more than 100 "unlucky children" from 50 families in Jakarta, Bandung and neighboring cities.

It opened with a procession of parents escorting their "unlucky children" to the ritual site. The 116 children, wrapped in white robes, or kopohan, then solemnly sat on placemats. Dalang Ki Timbul Hadiprayitno, who chaired the ceremony, began the ritual with a shadow puppet show entitled Murwakala, literally a fight against Batara Kala (the god who brings ill- fortune, even death).

Batara Kala, the demon, is believed to cause impurity and illness. He usually occupies such "unholy" places as graveyards, forests and rivers. The Kala symbolizes malice, failure, misfortune, sickness and destruction.

It is believed that before the 116 children undergo a purification ceremony, they are still under the bad influence of Batara Kala. Every bad and unhappy condition is attributed to the presence of sukerto children in a family.

The shadow puppet performance is a means to eliminate the Kala's evil influence on the sukerto children.

The Murwakala puppet show consists of magic spells called mantra wringin sungsang and rajah kala cakra which are used to eliminate the Kala's power over the children. The story also includes moral teachings to guide the children on the right path in the future.

While the dalang performs the shadow puppet, no sound is allowed to disturb the event. Both the children and the guests are required to remain silent as the dalang attempts to throw the Batara Kala away from the lives of these unlucky children.

Pregnant and menstruating women as well as young children are prohibited from witnessing the ceremony because they belong to the group which is very vulnerable to the Kala's attacks.

The ceremony reaches its climax when the puppet master cuts off part of the children's hair to remove the Kala's control over their souls. He also pours "holy water" over these sukerto to free them from evil. After the ceremony, these unfortunate children symbolically appear as "newborn" babies.

Financial problems

Sudjoko, a father of one of the sukerto children, commented, "This ceremony has released me from a heavy burden. I really hope that there will be changes in our family."

He went on to say that he had to wait for years to perform the ceremony because of financial limitations. Sudjoko said he would have had to spend between Rp 5 million and Rp 10 million for an elaborate ceremony.

The mass ceremony alleviated the financial burden since he only had to shell out Rp 350,000. "The mass ceremony really helped me and other people as well. Javanese really believe in this spiritual activity," he added.

Mrs. Muryuadi, head of the Yogyakarta stand, said that the stand has been organizing the mass ceremony since l987 to help preserve this important tradition in Javanese society.

"It is very difficult to organize such sacred and complicated rituals as ruwatan, particularly in big cities like Jakarta. Moreover, it's very costly," she explained.

However, the need to hold such ceremonies is increasing in this modern society, she said. In l987, only 30 children took part in ruwatan. The number increased to 116 this year. The trend is also similar in other big cities including Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Surabaya.

There are a large number of other children who will take part in the next ruwatan mass ceremony on July 31, she added.

"It's amazing that in modern times, people still believe in this ancient tradition, " she said.

She also commented that ruwatan should not be considered as a money consuming occasion. "The ceremony can be simplified without reducing any of its significant values," she said.