Tens of Thousands of Village Officials Join Mangayubagya Procession for 80th Birthday of Sri Sultan HB X
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Tens of thousands of village officials and representatives from Community Institution of Urban Villages across the Special Region of Yogyakarta took part in a cultural procession as part of the Mangayubagya celebrations for the 80th birthday of His Majesty Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, from Kilometre Zero to the Keraton Yogyakarta on Thursday.
The officials and LKK present from the five districts and cities in DIY, dressed in traditional Javanese attire in the Yogyakarta Keraton style, joined the procession which began at 07:30 WIB.
The group of participants was led by representatives from the City of Yogyakarta, followed by Sleman Regency, Bantul, Kulon Progo, and Gunungkidul. Meanwhile, the general public attending the procession were encouraged to wear traditional Javanese clothing or batik.
The procession participants walked from Yogyakarta’s Kilometre Zero to the Keraton Yogyakarta’s Pagelaran while carrying agricultural produce from their respective regions.
The DIY lurah association, united under Nayantaka Gandang Hardjanata, stated that the event was a manifestation of the love and respect from DIY society towards Ngarsa Dalem Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono (HB) X, as well as an expression of gratitude for his leadership, which is seen as always protective of the community.
In the procession, each urban village brought agricultural produce according to their region’s potential. Subsequently, the produce received by the Keraton Yogyakarta was handed back to the regents and mayors for distribution to those in need in their respective areas.
“In Sleman Regency, there are 86 urban villages with diverse agricultural potentials. The produce includes polo kependem (tubers), fruits, vegetables, rice, and others,” he said.
The Head of the Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency of Gunungkidul Regency, Arif Aldian, mentioned that they sent around 4,000 participants from 144 urban villages, 18 districts, as well as involving heads of regional apparatus, regional-owned enterprises, and Abdi Dalem Kaprajan.
“Participants from Gunungkidul departed at 05:00 WIB. This is a form of our appreciation and respect to Ngarsa Dalem for his 80th birthday. We hope he is always granted health and safety,” he said.
He added that the event was also expected to boost the tourism sector in DIY through the strengthening of local cultural values displayed in the procession.
At the end of the event, the organising committee provided free angkringan stalls involving micro, small, and medium enterprises (UMKM) from all districts and cities in DIY.
One of the angkringan vendors, Ari (63), said he had been preparing since the previous night. He started preparing his goods from midnight before selling in the morning.