'Ujungan', blood sacrifice for rain

Agus Maryono and Mamock NG, The Jakarta Post, Banjarnegara, Central Java

Suparno moaned in pain as his arms and legs were beaten with a rattan stick. His legs and arms were swollen from the beating. The next strike brought blood from his left leg and sent him to his back, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender. Thousands of spectators cheered as Suparno was led from the arena for treatment.

A resident of the village of Susukan in Susukan district, Banjarnegara regency, Central Java, Suparno, 37, was one of the fighters in the traditional Ujungan ceremony in Banjarnegara. The local community performs the ceremony to call forth rain during long dry spells like the current drought gripping the area.

Dozens of people sign up as fighters for in this unique rain ceremony. The fighters endure the pain of the ceremony because it is believed that the more blood is shed, the greater will the chance of rain.

Ujungan is always a time of rejoicing, with fighters hitting and dodging to the accompaniment of gamelan music. When a fighter is defeated, the referee, or welandang, calls the next contender to the ring to fight the winner.

Held without notice, an Ujungan is made known by word of mouth. A recent ceremony in Gumelem Kulon village, Susukan district, began with an elderly man sitting cross-legged, facing an offering on a round bamboo tray of roses, food, drinks, a charcoal stove and other objects.

After burning incense on the stove, he began to chant, holding out his hands with his palms upward. The man eventually completed the formalities, rose and walked to his seat. On his way, he shook hands with another man, the welandang, who then approached the first two fighters in their protective gear and carrying rattan sticks.

The sturdy fighters each wielded rattan sticks that resembled police batons. The referee gestured to the gamelan players to start the bout. Crowds of supporters yelled encouragement to their favorite fighters, with the noise reaching a fevered pitch as the fighters began to beat each other.

The fight continued until one of the men gained the upper hand and beat his opponent into submission. The defeated fighter was replaced by a contender who was waiting in the wings. As a rule, these ceremonies involve at least 14 matches, which take place from 2 p.m. to dusk.

Marto Raharjo, 65, who led the Ujungan ceremony in Gumelem, told The Jakarta Post that if there were still more fighters when dusk fell, the ceremony would continue the next afternoon.

According to Marto Raharjo, Ujungan dates back to the 18th century, when the area was plagued by repeated droughts. Two groups of farmers argued over the water supply for their fields, ending in a brawl. Refusing to make peace, they went to the village hall to see their demang (village chief).

Their chief arranged for the two groups' best men to fight with sticks.

"Whoever won was entitled to the water," Marto said. That first match in a dry field was led by the demang and witnessed by local villagers. Inevitably, the fighters' legs started belled as they traded rattan strikes, and legend has it that it started to rain shortly thereafter.

"The flow of blood was seen by our forefathers as a trigger for inducing rain, and the idea of solving the water distribution dispute by holding the fight has since become a ritual during the dry season in Susukan," explained Marto. In the 1920s, gamelan music was introduced to the ceremony when people from outside Banjarnegara joined the contest, and it was given the name Ujungan.

Since the beginning of this tradition, participants have prepared for the fights by seeking supernatural powers, sometimes with the help of psychic instructors. Consequently, the fighting arena has also served as a means for testing the magic forces of these instructors.

Contestants also visit nearby sacred places and meditate before the Ujungan to gain physical and spiritual strength.

"When I go there, I pray not only for success but also for rain and an end to the drought," said Suparno, who also wears a gemstone from his grandfather, who was an Ujungan champion.

Darkum, 40, visits magic teachers during the dry season to gain strength. "With the magic power I get from them, I feel no pain even when I am bleeding," he said, showing his bruised and bloodied legs.

Tarmudi, 40, who taken part in the ceremony for 15 years, said he fasted for seven days and sought psychic instruction to help him in the ritual.

The day before the ceremony, Marto Raharjo, as a village elder, led a thanksgiving gathering. All of those participating and involved in the event, including the village head, attended an evening prayer service in Marto's home.