Sekaten
Encyclopedia
Sekaten is a week long Javanese traditional ceremony, festival, fair
and pasar malam
(night market
) commemorating Mawlid
(the birthday of prophet Muhammad
), celebrated annually started on 5th day through the 12th day of (Javanese Calendar) Mulud month (correspond to Rabi' al-awwal
in Islamic Calendar). The festivities usually took place in northern alun-alun (square) in Yogyakarta, and simultaneously also celebrated in northern alun-alun of Surakarta
. This ceremony originally were initiated by Sultan Hamengkubuwana I, the founder of Yogyakarta Sultanate
to promote the Islamic faith.
named: Kyai Nogowilogo and Kyai Gunturmadu. The royal procession started in Pendopo
(hall) Ponconiti towards Yogyakarta Great Mosque in northern alun-alun guarded by palace guards. The Kyai Nogowilogo gamelan will be placed at northern pavilion of Grand Mosque, while Gamelan Kyai Gunturmadu will be placed at Pagongan pavilion in southern side of the mosque. These two set of sacred gamelan
s will be played simultaneously everyday until the 11th day of Mulud month through seven consecutive days. During the last day the two gamelan will be returned back into the Kraton.
) and lumpang (rice mortar and pestle), that marked the making of Gunungan which will be carried in Grebeg Mulud festival. The song played in this Tumplak Wajik ceremony is usually the popular Javanese traditional songs, such as Lompong Keli, Tundhung Setan, Owal awil, etc.
will be picked, fought over and ripped apart by the people that already waiting in the square, as they believed this objects is sacred, potent and could bring good luck, prosperity and wealth upon their households. Usually these parts of Gunungan will be kept in the house for luck, or buried in the rice fields as the traditional Javanese farmers believed that these objects will grant their fields fertility and protection from locust, plagues, and any misfortunes that might befell them.
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
and pasar malam
Pasar malam
Pasar malam is a Malay and Indonesian word that literally means "night market", "pasar" being related to "bazaar" in Persian. A pasar malam is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore that opens in the evening, usually in residential neighbourhoods.It brings together a collection of...
(night market
Night market
Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets.-Geographical spread:...
) commemorating Mawlid
Mawlid
Mawlid or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal,...
(the birthday of prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
), celebrated annually started on 5th day through the 12th day of (Javanese Calendar) Mulud month (correspond to Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal is the third month in the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid - the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe the exact date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shi'a Muslims believe...
in Islamic Calendar). The festivities usually took place in northern alun-alun (square) in Yogyakarta, and simultaneously also celebrated in northern alun-alun of Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
. This ceremony originally were initiated by Sultan Hamengkubuwana I, the founder of Yogyakarta Sultanate
Yogyakarta Sultanate
Yogyakarta Sultanate is a Javanese monarchy in the province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.-History:...
to promote the Islamic faith.
Gamelan Sekaten
In day one, the ceremony started during the night by the royal parade of Abdi Dalem (keraton's guards and officials) accompanied by two set of Gamelan SekatenGamelan Sekaten
The Gamelan Sekaten is a ceremonial gamelan from central Java, Indonesia, played during the annual Sekaten festival. The word sekaten itself is derived from syahadatain or shahada, the first requirement for converting into Islamic faith...
named: Kyai Nogowilogo and Kyai Gunturmadu. The royal procession started in Pendopo
Pendopo
A Pendopo or Pendapa is a fundamental element of Javanese architecture; a large pavilion-like structure built on columns. Either square or rectangular in plan, it is open on all sides and provides shelter from the sun and rain, but allows breeze and indirect light. The word pendopo is a variant on...
(hall) Ponconiti towards Yogyakarta Great Mosque in northern alun-alun guarded by palace guards. The Kyai Nogowilogo gamelan will be placed at northern pavilion of Grand Mosque, while Gamelan Kyai Gunturmadu will be placed at Pagongan pavilion in southern side of the mosque. These two set of sacred gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
s will be played simultaneously everyday until the 11th day of Mulud month through seven consecutive days. During the last day the two gamelan will be returned back into the Kraton.
Tumplak Wajik
Two days before Grebeg Muludan, the ceremony called Tumplak Wajik was held in palace Magangan field in 4:00 PM afternoon. This ceremony is started by kotekan ceremony which incorporate singging traditional songs accompanied with rhythmic hitting of kentongan (bamboo or wooden slit drumSlit drum
A slit drum is a hollow percussion instrument, usually a log drum of bamboo or wood, that is made with one or more slits in it. Most slit drums have three slits, cut into the shape of an "H". If, as is usual, the resultant tongues are different lengths or thicknesses, the drum will produce two...
) and lumpang (rice mortar and pestle), that marked the making of Gunungan which will be carried in Grebeg Mulud festival. The song played in this Tumplak Wajik ceremony is usually the popular Javanese traditional songs, such as Lompong Keli, Tundhung Setan, Owal awil, etc.
Grebeg Muludan
The main event of Sekaten is called the Grebeg Muludan that held in 12th day (exactly during the birthday of Prophet Muhammad) starting in 8:00 am. The main Gunungan (Javanese: mountain), a model of mountain made of sticky rice, sweets, various foods, crackers, fruits and vegetables, were guarded by 10 units of bregodo (brigade) of Kraton's royal guards: Wirobrojo, Daeng, Patangpuluh, Jogokaryo, Prawirotomo, Nyutro, Ketanggung, Mantrijero, Surokarso, and Bugis. The Gunungan will be carried in processions from Kemandungan through Sitihinggil and Pagelaran hall and finally ended in Grand Mosque. After the prayer, the Gunungan that symbolize the wealth and prosperity of Mataram SultanateMataram Sultanate
The Sultanate of Mataram was the last major independent Javanese empire on Java before the island was colonized by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force in interior Central Java from the late 16th century until the beginning of the 18th century....
will be picked, fought over and ripped apart by the people that already waiting in the square, as they believed this objects is sacred, potent and could bring good luck, prosperity and wealth upon their households. Usually these parts of Gunungan will be kept in the house for luck, or buried in the rice fields as the traditional Javanese farmers believed that these objects will grant their fields fertility and protection from locust, plagues, and any misfortunes that might befell them.