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)