'Ujungan', blood sacrifice for rain

'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.