Tragedy Behind the Ambarketawang Bekakak Saparan Tradition to be Held Tomorrow

The Saparan Bekakak 2026 will be held at Gunung Gamping, Ambarketawang, Gamping, Sleman, tomorrow. The tradition of slaughtering bridal effigies originates from a historical tragedy in which a landslide killed miners. Suwandi, the Dukuh of Gamping Tengah and event organiser, explained that the ritual serves as a communal safety ceremony for residents around Gunung Gamping. In the past, most locals worked as limestone miners, and landslides frequently occurred during the month of Safar. One victim was Ki Wirasuta, a beloved royal servant of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, who was buried alongside his wife; their bodies were never recovered. Upon hearing the news, the Sultan sought divine guidance and instructed the community to hold a slametan every Safar in the form of a bekakak. The bridal effigies symbolise a substitute for human sacrifice, as a king could not sacrifice his people. The Saparan Bekakak series begins tonight with the Midodareni ritual, involving the collection of Tirta Donojati water from a Yogyakarta Palace hermitage. The water and effigies will be handed over to the Ambarketawang village hall. Tomorrow, the Tirta Donojati and bekakak will be paraded from the village hall to Gunung Gamping for the climax of the event, the slaughtering of the effigies.