Unique religious tradition in Bantul

Unique religious tradition in Bantul

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Smoke from a blend of burning incense and
yellow sandalwood wisped gently upwards while its fragrance
spread through the holy altar of Candi Tyas Dalem Yesus, the
Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at Ganjuran in Bantul,
Yogyakarta.

Thousands of people turned their faces toward the direction of
the temple which was glowing in the morning sunshine.

Built by the Schmustzers in 1927 in a Javanese-Hindu
architectural style, the Tyas Dalem Yesus temple -- which lies
some 17 km south of Yogyakarta and is located close to Ganjuran
Catholic Church -- is a small structure which local Catholics
visit to meditate. Every late June, coinciding with the
observation of a feast celebrating the sacred heart of Jesus on
the church's liturgical calendar, a procession glorifying the
holy blessed sacrament is conducted in a Javanese traditional
ceremony.

As in previous years, thousands of people from Jakarta,
Surabaya, Semarang and Surakarta gathered in the temple's yard
very early in the morning of June 25, 2000. The Javanese
procession, which was combined with the holy mass, was scheduled
to commence at 7 a.m., but the yard was crowded with visitors who
were waiting since the night before.

"I've been here since last night. We came in groups, and
stayed here with our relatives," said Lucia, who is from Depok,
West Java, and was part of a group of 10 visitors.

The merging of Catholicism with the Javanese culture was
witnessed there at the gate. The entrance was ornamented with
decorations made of young yellow coconut leaves, which a Javanese
family uses when they throw a party. On either side of the
entrance were two large ceramic jars containing holy water for
those wishing to purify themselves. The structure of the temple,
which constitutes the main altar, had jasmine and various kinds
of offerings adorning it.

All the chaperons and members of the event's organizing
committee donned traditional Javanese costumes. The Catholic
priests leading the holy mass also wore this traditional attire.

The ceremony began with the appearance of fifteen Catholic
priests accompanied by some people carrying ceremonial objects.
They all headed toward the front part of the altar. At the same
time, gamelan players played a hymn called Lancaran Pelog 6. Upon
arriving before the altar, the priests knelt down and showed
respect to the statue of Christ the King, located inside the
temple. Then one of them burned incense, ratus and yellow
sandalwood powder as a token of a respectful offering to God.

In the course of this holy mass, Catholic rituals and
Javanese traditions formed a harmonious blend, which was
manifested in the procession of the all holy sacrament and the
procession of the Gunungan offering. Gunungan, a mountain-like
figure which symbolizes the universe and is known to the Javanese
as being part of the Garebeg ceremony, was also presented and
later offered to the people who gathered there.

At the offering, two Gunungan, representing a male and female,
were displayed. A Gunungan represents the union of creation, and
the feeling and idea of it in the form of various kinds of
agricultural products.

But the long-awaited event was the all holy sacrament
procession. In Catholic belief, this sacrament is believed to be
the body of Jesus Christ. The procession, which was accompanied
by all sorts of symbolic attributes of a king, was quiet and
touching. When the procession passed, those present knelt down to
show their respect to the presence of Jesus.

"I have never before been this emotionally touched. When the
procession passed and stopped in front of me, I could not
describe how I felt then. I was really happy when I could touch
the sacrament's cover," said Murwaningsih of Sleman, Yogyakarta.

The procession ended with the participants competing with one
another to take the contents of the Gunungan, which included
various sorts of seeds and produce. In just five minutes, there
was nothing left of the two Gunungan.

"I was lucky enough to get a handful of rice. I will keep this
at home so that I can have a good rice harvest," said a man from
Bambang Lipuro, Bantul, Yogyakarta. (Tarko Sudiarno)