The A to Z of Sekaten

The Sekaten celebration is held for seven consecutive days ahead of Prophet Mohammad's birthday Rabi'ulawal 12 (according to the Islamic calendar) or Maulud 12 (according to the Javanese calendar, and falls on April 21 this year.

The celebration begins with the miyos gongso ritual on the eve of Maulud 5, during which the palace's sacred gamelan instruments of Kyai Guntur Madu and Kyai Nogowilogo are brought to the palace's Masjid Gedhe grand mosque to be played continuously, except on Fridays, until the whole celebration is over on Maulud 12.

Before it is brought to the mosque and placed at two special halls at the front of the mosque, the instruments are played at the palace's Bangsal Ponconiti hall. They are then paraded through the Alun-Alun Utara square, immediately south of the twin banyan trees known as ringin kurung, to the mosque. The traditional soldiers from the palace follow.

The playing of the two sacred gamelan instruments at the mosque also marks the beginning of the Sekaten celebration. It explains why, from Maulud 5 and subsequently, the public is usually exempted from paying the entry fee because it is a ritual part of the celebration that everyone has an obligation to participate in.

From this time onward, too, people selling goods particularly associated with Sekaten like ndog abang (red eggs), pecut (whips), sega wudhuk (rice cooked in coconut milk), and kinang (betel leaves) are also quite noticeable.

At the time the miyos gongso ritual is held, the sultan also performs separately what is referred to as the nyebar udhik-udhik ritual, during which he distributes coins to the public as a token of the palace's generosity.

The instruments are returned to the palace on the eve of Maulud 12, in a ceremony known as kondur gongso, during which the sultan attends a commemoration of Prophet Mohammad's birthday at the mosque to listen to the story of the Prophet being read out aloud.

The peak celebration is held the following morning. It is known as garebeg, during which the palace distributes gunungan, or cone-shaped offerings, to the public.

There are normally five different gunungan distributed during the garebeg ritual. They are: gunungan lanang, gunungan wadon, gunungan darat, gunungan pawuhan and gunungan gepak.

Each has a particular symbolic meaning.

The community traditionally believes that eating parts of the offerings will bring them good luck.

At every dal year according to the Javanese calendar, however, another gunungan is added. It is called gunungan bromo or gunungan kutug (smoking gunungan). An additional ritual of njejak bata (brick kicking) also features in a dal year, during which the sultan kicks a brick wall at a specified location.

-- Sri Wahyuni