Tag: Javanese tradition

National Batik’s Day

Learning

Why we live and what for we live are different from one person to another, that’s normal. And its normality is cascaded to the next levels of why and what for of smaller aspects of life. In mine it’s including but not limited to why and what for I conserve batik as part of the Javanese culture, the culture in which I’m primarily raised and nurtured.

The word conserve might be too humongous for me personally; what I’m doing is simply preserving the batik that I’ve collected as part of adoration to how the batik has come to its existence. Yet if my preserving humble collection of all the batik from the simbah, budhe and mbak (how I address the batik artisans) can be defined as part of conservation in individual level, I’m glad and honored.

a piece of batik of a batik maker

I’m nobody— just a human being consistently putting meanings to life, even in her lowest point of life. Batik has been one tool that helps tap part of me to wake up, through its patterns and motifs. As I mentioned in one of my blogs earlier, Javanese is people of wisdom or people of culture or people of meaning. They insert lessons and meanings through symbols they expose to the world in this case through patterns and motifs of batik they’ve designed either the ones traditional or modern.

I did feel like loving batik as part of my culture. Yet from time to time I’ve contemplated whether I’m truly loving batik because of its being a culture value or culture element. Am I a Javanese, the people of symbols, the people of wisdom, the people of culture and meaning? Or, am I simply a human being who adores batik because of batik itself. And yes I’ve found reasons sentimentally pushing me to observe then love batik. They might sound more like excuses instead of reasons though, yet I love to claim them as genuine motivation for me to keep batik alive within.

batik Nitik

My mother’s mother was a mother who had to raise 4 children, send them all to schools (school was popular for high class society by then, for a widow like her sending children to schools was uniquely rare), my grandmother didn’t want her children to live poor like her.

My mother loved to tell us how she would go with her mother to the rice field to work in harvest time; and to go to her mother’s niece’s house where she would fetch white sheets of cotton to be made batik when rice field labor was rest before harvest time. Since then batik had been a sweet spot within me to always connect to a grandmother that I never meet. I’ve always felt a calm tone of honor (if not pride) to be the offspring of a tough dignified lady like her. Mother said her mother would make many batik patterns or motifs: kawung, parang, wahyu tumurun, cuwiri, yet mostly truntum. It might be 1st excuse why I fell in love with batik.

2nd excuse? I remember a pretty lady would visit my mother and offer some handmade batik. Her eyes were glowing when explaining the meaning or wisdom of the batik patterns and motifs, moving her fingers on the smooth fabric. I always wanted to be like her.

batik Kawung

Next…. 3rd excuse.

I was a student of batik class in Jakarta Textile Museum back then. Our batik teacher was a pretty lady named Mbak Ari. She liked to tease me because I would only make small patches of batik either with flower, bird or my favorite verses from the Quran humbly coloured. Yet I knew she liked me around as I would stay the longest in the museum every weekend while everyone else left; I would only go home when she told me “Closing time….”. Yes, I trained myself to face my patience through full day of batik making at that time.

One fine day Paras magazine came to cover news about batik to the museum, Mbak Ari requested me to be the batik maker model. Tada! My photo was in the magazine. What a shame! Yet I was happy to help. There was only one reason why I was appointed to be “the model”: I was the only one female mature student that day, others were all young learners.

Another day I prepared batik sidomukti on a 2.5-meter primisima cotton, saying to Mbak Ari that I would someday wear the batik I made with my own hand on my wedding day. She said “Too long! You get married even before this poor batik is completed. Go soon!” Funny, I’ve never finished the batik and the drawn white sheet is even no where to find. Making another one?

batik Grompol

4th excuse.

I don’t buy expensive batik. Of all my collection the most expensive is SGD1000 per sheet. And I decided not to buy that level anymore; max I’d take with no bargain is SGD200 per sheet for the price of batik, with additional tip I’ll specifically give to the primary batik makers who have done the primary patterns/motifs or do the most processes (note that one sheet of batik can be finished by a group of batik makers who will draw the patterns, put the wax on primary patterns/motifs, put the wax to form secondary patterns (isen-isen), colour the batik, clean the wax from the fabric to see the final colours– we can only know when we buy from direct source, otherwise, we can’t trace back such information and to me that makes the batik value just a anonymous work of art: beautiful but having no history of itself. (Someday I’d like to blog about “anonymous beauty in Javanese art especially batik).

I promised to myself that buying batik shall be only to the artisans in their places of origin, not to the high-class stores that hang price tags as high as gold can be. I want my collection to source from simbah or budhe or mbak who make batik to keep their kitchen and light on. Thank you, dear batik artisans.

Then what for are all the batik I’ve stacked in the cupboard? There is always discussion about what I’ll be doing with my batik. Selling them? Giving them away? Probably. Yet before it happens, I want to make myself a batik curator. Whoa! Curator?

It’s not the curator in the level of those curating collected items in museums. Being a curator, I’d love to curate the batik in my humble collection by studying whatever dots, lines, curves, nooks and colors then give additional meanings to the ones traditionally existing and culturally standardized. Personal meanings will hopefully glue batik even stronger on to my life. I wish to sit with some friends to spread batik sheets and study the wisdom together.

batik Parang Klithik

Seems like I love batik not really because of its being an element or value of Javanese culture. It is more about how batik personally sits on my soul. Taking culture as the primary aspect might not work to me; I might lose grip when I’m culturally crossed over.

Happy National Batik’s Day! (tomorrow, Oct 2)

Dear fellow Indonesians, let’s wear batik. You don’t have to wear handmade batik (drawn or stamped). You can wear machine stamped or printed ones as long as the batik is made in Indonesia. Please kindly note that we need to work hand in hand in this difficult situation to survive. Buy our neighbors’ products including but not limited to batik. 

Dear those cross cultures, if you read this; please google “batik”, “handmade batik”, “sogan batik”, “Indonesia batik”, “imogiri batik”, etc about batik. Who knows someday life will pull you all and me together in a spot where batik is the center of discussion? Heaven knows.

Note: Simbah: grandmother; Budhe: Aunty; Mbak: Older Sister

batik Gringsing Pisan Bali

Bokor Kencana (batik)

Learning, life, Poetic

Bokor Kencana is a Javanese phrase formed from the words “bokor” and “kencana”. “Bokor” means jar commonly made from metal. “Kencana” or “kencono” means gold, golden. So, “bokor kencana” is golden jar.

While many associate “bokor” with a jar to contain flowers and water in Javanese ceremonies, it is also mentioned in one of Javanese traditional songs  (Tembang Mocopat) called “Asmarandana” in which “bokor kencana” is used to describe golden jars carried by the deities whose task is to distribute blessings at the  later time of night (midnight to time before dawn).

batik Bokor Kencana from Ibu Tien’s team

To me the “bokor kencana” in Asmarandana song is suitable to describe this Javanese batik pattern.

Javanese people (traditional ones) love to stay awake late at night until early morning because they believe those who give up most of their sleep portion will receive extraordinary blessings especially higher spitituality, wisdom and charisma. Is it true? No one knows if it is truly. A belief is a belief; let the believers prove it. Giving little to no judgement is better.

a full length of Bokor Kencana taken picture by Mbak Izzah

Additionally I read somewhere that this batik pattern is allegedly the one designated to all ranks of Javanese people without exception since its first composition; not only for royal but also for laypeople. Everyone can wear it.

It obviously underlines that this batik pattern is a symbol that everyone can reach higher spiritual/wisdom/charisma level regardless the position in the society as long as they are willing to give up some part of their comfort.

What a relief! At least in this particular area other than time life is fair!

😊

Asmaradhana

Aja turu sore kaki
Ana dewa nglanglang jagad
Nyangking bokor kencanane
Isine dunga tetulak
Sandang kalawan pangan
Yoiku bagianipun
Wong melek, sabar, narima

English translation
Don't sleep early
There are deities wander around the universe
Carrying their golden jars
In which protection prayers are contained,
Also clothing and food *)
Apportioned for
Those awake (sleeping less), patient, acceptant

*) clothing and food is a symbol of basic welfare in Javanese culture. First basic is clothing followed by food then house. Sandang (clothing) comes before food in traditional Javanese culture as sandang means dignity and self esteem. Traditional Javanese prefer suffering from hunger to suffering from shame. Traditional Javanese will not eat your free food if you give the food by showing arrogance or superiority, not because they want to be more than you, they just want basic respect as fellow human beings. This value has shifted in modern era where dignity is defined differently– people prefer eating for free although they have to give up their self esteem. This applies not only to real food but also to modern consummerism

The Master

Learning, Map It!, Poetic, Those People

The Master, Beloved
Shows me how beauty is made
And destroyed. That's life.

Ibu Tien is a senior batik artisan who has been my main source of my Yogyakartan classical batik collection. As a Javanese I never want to even sit at the same level with a master; I will sit at least one level lower from them at least when being in a frame. 💕 She is about 15 years older than me. Other then her Mbak Izzah, Ibu Tien’s daughter in law is another master of Yogyakartan classical batik

Mbak Izzah preparing my package; this stack was not one-time haul, many of them are those started 2 years ago — yes, one sheet of batik can be processed up to two years, mine was because some colouring process was done in another city (Solo) and some batik makers had to pause the batik process to go to rice field (taking care and harvesting rice)

Wukir Sari, Imogiri, Oct 25, 2024

Mbak Fitri is a master of “batik nitik” who becomes my main facilitator for “batik nitik” collection. She is the one introducing me to the senior batik artisans who dedicate themselves to this tradition. I sat down on the floor and made her sit at the chair although she strongly refused; my respect to this master although younger than me. 💕

Mbak Fitri’s artisans at the studio

Bangun Jiwo, Kasihan, Oct 26, 2024

Ciptoning (batik)

Learning, life, Poetic

A hermit walks in
To a cave in a market.
His night's never dark,
Day's never noisy. He's still
When he moves or talks. Centered--

Today is about another batik prepared by Mbak Izzah for shipment from Jogjakarta to Singapore.

Batik Ciptoning

Ciptoning is a Javanese word composed of two: cipta or cipto and ning.

Cipta or cipto means thought, imagination, creativity.

Also….

It means to create or to manifest.

And….

The ning, ening, bening, wening means clear as of water, clear as of mind, quiet, serene.

So ciptoning can mean clarify the thought and imagination or creativity….

Or creating or manifesting in serenity or in clear mind or in quiet mind.

This batik pattern consists of ceplok (clusters) of geometry patterns formed by series of parang, wayang, gurdha (garuda) or wings pattern, bird and some isen-isen (repeated small dots or checks or lines to fill the space among all primary and secondary patterns).

I did talk about parang, gurdha and isen-isen in previous postings. Hope they still can be looked up, or else they should be googled. 😉

There are two wayang characters in the centers of the ceplok who are Begawan Abiyasa and Arjuna; one is the spiritual teacher, the other is the pupil. This is the scene when Begawan Abiyasa teaches Arjuna on how to complete a retreat. Once Begawan Abiyasa completes his task, he disappears and Arjuna has to start everything by himself. Yes, teacher will vanish when student is ready to jump alone — not needed anymore.

What does Begawan Abiyasa teach Arjuna to do?

A common retreat in Javanese tradition is a semedi or samadhi. The samadhi is usually conducted in a quiet, serene place and it is done by calming the mind, composing the body posture and focusing on nothing but the purpose of the retreat– can be anything including something, everything even nothing. That is what Begawan Abiyasa teaches him to do.

In wayang world a special retreat like this is normally done before a knight goes to a battle against raksasa or gandharwa that are representing evil energy of the world. Arjuna as a famous knight of his ability to survive a long retreat, his nature of complete human quality (including but not limited to naughtiness and ambition) and his high skills of warship; is assigned to spend from time to time for a retreat more often than his siblings; while Begawan Abiyasa is a maestro of spirituality in wayang world and so is trusted to guide a knight to face his impurity.

When doing a retreat, Arjuna uses a different name as he doesn’t want people to know that a royal family member is among the commoners doing a retreat. And that doing a retreat is a secret activity, he doesn’t want to be disturbed by commoners who want to take selfie with him. 😃

He is named Begawan Ciptoning.

Begawan can mean some: hermit, escatic, retreatant, recluse, solitaire, anchoret. In some way it can also mean maestro.

Ciptoning is to describe what Arjuna is doing during that period of hermitage. He is composing himself physically and mentally in serenity in order to achieve purity in his thought, imagination and creativity. He contemplates in silence among the crowd within himself, fighting against all distractions to survive the retreat and to finally get a clarity on how to manifest the everything or something or nothing that becomes his purpose of retreat.

Begawan Ciptoning will only end the retreat when The Undescribable blesses him with what is needed to go back to the “real world”, “to fight against the evil energy”.

When he is done with the retreat the begawan turns its meaning and value from hermit into maestro!

😳

Long story short please, Rike!

Batik Ciptoning is a special batik for those respected spiritually in Javanese early tradition. It was worn by those achieving certain levels of hermitage or having the quality of a spiritual maestro and so can provide guidance to others “lost” in the “search of meaning of life”. Those people shall go through repeated cycles like what Begawan Ciptoning has gone through with the guidance of Begawan Abiyasa.

It is now though worn by anyone who loves the pattern or one who prays that s/he is able to reach an enlightment in her/his own journey of life.

Gosh! My writing is broken pieces. Many to write but my thumbs need a retreat….

💕

my pieces of batik Ciptoning ready for delivery ♥️

A Knight Who Shoots

Learning, love, Poetic

Who's a knight who shoots?
Archer who knows the bull's eye
And bow and arrow--

Satria manah (satrio manah) is a Javanese phrase formed by two words:

1. Satria or satrio that means a knight,

2. Manah that is derived from the word panah (archery in Javanese). Panah (Noun) is changed to manah (Verb)

As name of batik pattern should be incorporated with wisdom, the interpretation can be built with some exaggeration or maybe slightly drammatical structure. And so, satria manah is not simply a knight who shoots anything but it is intrepreted as a knight who shoots accurately at the heart of a lady.

Life of a wise can be as light as shooting a heart; yet as hard as shooting at the right spot so that it won’t hurt the heart; it even will make the lady fall in love harder with the knight.

Is that even possible?

I don’t know. Not a knight, am not a wise knight. A lady, am the lady whose heart should be shot by a wise knight. 😁

Another fun fact this batik is usually worn by the groom-to-be’s parents when they are officially proposing the bride-to-be in front of her family. The groom-to-be may also wear this batik when he is with his parents during the marriage proposal. Unofficially? the man can propose the woman personally before introducing to each other’s family.

What batik should be worn by the bride-to-be in the marriage proposal? It is batik semen rante. What is that? I will talk about it next year when the semen rante is ready to ship to me by Mbak Izzah. ☺️

This batik has given me a light heart and a good laugh after a long day.

Have a good weekend!

the batik that is ready for delivery

close up of batik Satria Manah

Hidden Gems

Learning, Poetic
Hidden gems
Shan’t be found
By those admiring surface.
Let it be kept undercover,
Shining within
The hearts of
The true lovers.

——

Dewi Larasati (named Rarasati in her childhood) is one of female characters in Javanese wayang whose personality is described as pleasant, patient, understanding and of good self control. She is unpopularly one of female wayang characters with military skill. She is good at handling keris and archery. She is allegedly as skillful as her husband, Arjuna.

Note: Dewi can mean goddess in Javanese. It can also simply mean or indicate that the person given that Javanese name is a female. Dewa is for male.

Dewi Larasati in black and white

Dewi Larasati is a humble woman and is so humble that she doesn’t want to announce her military skill until one day she is called by his husband to show her archery skill in from of Srikandi (his other wife). On that day everyone starts to know that Dewi Larasati’s archery expertise is outstanding, much better than Srikandi who is allegedly the best female archer in Javanese wayang and the bravest female heroine of all.

Dewi Larasati is then declared the one having as good skill as Arjuna’s, the best archer in Javanese wayang. Yet she never boasts of being as good as her husband in archery. She chooses to be the queen of the knight of war and mindfulness Arjuna, the beloved mother of her two sons, Bambang Sumitra and Branatalaras, the aunt of Pandawa’s offsprings.

Dewi Larasati facing left direction

While people like to talk about Dewi Larasati from that angle, I like talking about her from different one. To me I prefer to play dictions so disecting the word “Rarasati” and “Larasati” is another option.

Rarasati is a combination of 2 Javanese words: raras and ati.
Raras means feel, feeling, thought, thinking
Ati means heart
So rarasati can mean the feel of a heart or the thought of a heart or a feeling heart or a thinking heart

Larasati is a combination of 2 Javanese words: laras and ati.
Laras means song, singing, chat, chanting, reciting, recitation,
Ati means heart
So larasati can mean the song of a heart or a singing heart.

Dewi Larasati facing right direction

I always think Dewi Larasati’s parents’s naming her “larasati” because of their dream to have children who are willing to use the heart to feel and think the reality and to listen to their own self to balance the power of the loudness of material world.

With my simple utterance about the word “rarasati” and “larasati” I can imagine Dewi Larasati is a hidden gem that needs no disclosure as undercover she is already glowing. With her excellence she accepts to be less well-known than Srikandi, the archery heroine. With humbleness she accepts to be less popular than Sembadra, Arjuna’s second wife, while Dewi Larasati is the first wife of that bloody handsome knight Arjuna. Please note although I admire Arjuna’s high quality of meditation and nationalism, I curse his being a womaniser.

Anyway this is not about Arjuna, it is about Dewi Larasati, a humble intelligent woman whose identity is underrated because of her unpopularity like a hidden gem that is kept low key by those loving and protecting her.

Ahh! Is the above discussion culturally relevant? Or is it just this person who idolises those unpopular gems in life?

It doesn’t matter. This is just a different point of view about an old fact.

💕

Salaam.

Dewi Larasati on a batik scarft designed by Dudung Aliesyahbana, batik maestro from Pekalongan, Central Java

Devotion

Learning, Map It!, Poetic, Those People
Orbit of a star
Keeps it moving yet centred.
Devotional fact—

——

Ibu Tien Wartienah is one of the best batik makers whose work of art has spread around the globe; most of her customers are international art curators and prominent people from many countries incl our own country

she started making batik at 8 years old to help her mother who was also a batik maker; in her 66, she is the most sought-after devoted batik maker — her devotion to batik esp Yogyakartan style is second to none – her eyes were sparkling when she was sharing about batik and what she has done with her skill and art

many of my classical batik collection are made by this humble lady — i’m so blessed to keep guard her work of art and to have met her this visit; thank you, Ibu Tien — your life is blessed by many

Ibu Tien’s half done wax-blocking (nyanthing) work “Kembang Manggar” aka “Satria Manah”

i tried one batik yesterday in Ibu Tien’s home in Imogiri — trust me it is a challenging task 🤓

batik working tools

Maleman (Ramadhan’s odd nights celebration)

Learning, Poetic
Dear oh dear, it’s time to slide the curtain and see your face.

Crescent moon is here.
It illuminates my sky,
Showing your perfect beauty.

Dear oh dear, your love has perfectly wrapped my imperfect reality.

This dusk
To dawn
I pray.

—-

Javanese celebrate life through sharing and commemorating ancestors. They will find reasons to call a day sacred and so they can celebrate it with especially family and neighbours through sharing. One of the chosen moments is in the last 10 days of Ramadhan.

Ramadhan is believed to have 3 phases: 1st 10 days as the grace and mercy of the God, 2nd 10 days as forgiveness of the God and 3rd ones as liberation from purgatory. It is believed that one of the nights in the 3rd 10 days is called Lailatul Qadar (literally night of revelation or night of honour) whose value is more than 1000 months so if Muslim spends the night in goodness s/he will be appreciated with 1000 months of good deeds. Many Muslim scholars interpret lailatul qadar differently; I myself believe that it is the night when a human being becomes aware of one’s bearing the quality of humanity as well as divinity. No one knows which night it is but it is believed that the night allegedly falls on odd nights of Ramadhan: 21, 23, 25, 27 or 29.

Javanese think that it would be good to share joy at any of those odd nights. Those who are blessed with abundance will share more, they will invite their neighbours to dine in and make a basket of food to bring home for each of them. The less or under privilege will usually bring 2 baskets of food to a nearest mosque or mushola to share with others; as it is not mandatory, it is ok for them not to bring anything, their neighbours will give more to them.

The odd night celebration in Javanese is called maleman that comes from the word malem (dusk or twilight) and -an (a suffix added to a word that make the word a noun or a noun another noun with different meaning). Maleman means an activity that is conducted at dusk or twilight.

We hope that by doing the maleman we can be blessed with the 1000 months of good deed of food sharing. And isn’t sharing food the simplest thing to do with neighbour? 🙏🏼

There is one kue (small cake) typically present among all food shared in maleman, it is called apem— a rice cake made with yeast and coconut milk.

Apem is a symbol of forgiveness and asking for forgiveness with each other among the Javanese Muslim. It is derived from an Arabic word “afwun/afuwwun” that means forgiving. This rice cake is a special cake appearing in many Javanese celebration as a symbol of forgiving and forgiveness among people surrounding.

I am glad that the 3rd 10 days of Ramadhan is here. Time to sleep less and pray more for the sake of my happiness and joy.

Salaam.

—-

Nowadays kue apem has been creatively modified. Originally it is steamed; now many also fry it. I love this one of Javanese delicacies! 💝

Have a look of a few of the creations of our amateur cooks. 🙏🏼

we used to have this “apem conthong” either using jackfruit or banana leaves to both mould and wrap it — not many though make it due to its complicated process

the most common nowadays

this one is fried 😍

simple to cook but take long time to slice when set after cooked

💝

apem with Javanese palm sugar as the flavour — the sweetest one

apem kembang — my favourite 😍

Welcome, Month of Exercising (Javanese Muslim Tradition)

Learning, life, love, Map It!, Poetic, This Person, Those People
Regret and sorry
Not easy to feel and say,
Yet flushing the guilt.
Look! It’s rain water pouring
On the roof, sweeps away dirt.

—————————————————

Ramadhan is starting tomorrow, it’s my 38th year in which I do full fasting. I’m so grateful with this achievement. Achievement? Yes! Imagine for one full month during the day we don’t drink, we don’t eat, we don’t smoke, we don’t sex, we don’t let out uncontrolled emotion, we simply hold whatever we normally let out easily with no delay. We are human beings though, we can do all those at night. Ahem!

As a Javanese Muslim welcoming Ramadhan is as special as the fasting itself. We welcome the Ramadhan with a small celebration called megengan which literally means holding (esp. the breath).

In megengan a Javanese family will deliver a basket of rice with dishes to neighbours and extended family members living separately. While each family can choose what they share, there is one must specialty in this occasional delivery so called “apem” in Javanese or “kue apam” in Bahasa Indonesia or Malay.

Apem is steamed cake whose ingredients are rice flour, coconut milk, coconut water, yeast, sago starch and some sugar.

The word apem is derived from the word “afwun” (an Arabic word) meaning apology. Why apology? In Ramadhan when a Muslim is fasting, s/he is not only holding her/himself from hunger, thirst, lust, uncontrolled anger, and exercising her/his integrity; but s/he is also recommended to contemplate her/his own “action records” for the past one year. It is not easy for one to bear the guilt during the contemplation, so it is recommended for a Muslim before Ramadhan to apologise to their family and friends or to whomever s/he did wrongdoing, to ease the contemplation process. As it might not be easy to say sorry through a naked word, Javanese Muslim will include a symbolic apology in the food called apem when they deliver the whole food package. Everyone knows what it is, what it does— it is up to each person whether or not to accept the apology. And there they go starting the fasting month with a light heart to physically, mentally and spiritually exercise her/himself for one full month.

I used to think that that celebration was a waste of food. For one week I used to see sooooo many plastic and bamboo baskets piled up in our dining table and shelves — all those megengan packages which would be eaten just a bit and end up given to our chickens at the back yard. Fyi, the apem is never wasted though as every family has different taste and ways of how to make their best apem – maybe it’s a symbol that everyone is taking the apology seriously. I used to say to my mom that megengan was more about chickens celebrating than human beings celebrating. However after I understand what is symbolised through those simple deliveries, I highly appreciate the way we Javanese hold the integrity through our humble tradition.

I used to tell my mother to not do it, but now I’ve always been a reminder to her to not forget doing it and done it myself although I’m living around those not familiar with this tradition. I normally cook some simple food for the cleaning ladies and the gardeners who are assigned in the block two days before Ramadhan. Unfortunately minus the apem, simply because I am not confident enough to make my own apem. Tried this year though and failed 🙃

I promise to myself that this year is gonna be a good Ramadhan.

Welcome, month of holding, month of exercising integrity. It might not be always easy but doable.

I’m sending out apology to all the people having felt hurt by me. I’m sorry with my heart and soul in naked words. 🙏🏼

May all beings be happy.

my private megengan in 2022 minus rice, the white one is my own first apem in life – taste good but imperfect texture 🥰

Prayer For Ancestors – ranting

Learning

I’ve been told to pray for the ancestors, overall those in the family tree who have been deceased. We will trace back from my late father to his parents to his parents’ parents, up above to the very first regardless traceable or not and trace back from my mother’s parents to her parents’ parents, up above to the very first regardless traceable or not.

In old Javanese tradition people will do the prayer for ancestors in a simple yet sacred ritual – while some people will go to the graveyard or monument to do it, many are doing it at home. No altar, put thing on your table and pray.

However, four components shall be thoughtfully prepared: the day, the prayer, the food, drink, and (sometimes) cigarettes, and the flowers. Each of those has meaning.

As a reminder, here is the meaning. Please don’t quote me as my knowledge is the result of my personal contemplation mixed with very limited knowledge that I read and hear from many sources.

Chosen Days
All days are good, all time is precious. We are the one giving them meaning by putting some more attention and creating the moment on particular days. So choosing the day is a decision to give meaning to particular time so that it becomes a beautiful moment that boost our mood to connect with our beloved and respected members “above”. The day you are born must be your favourite day.

People will do it at night; many choose to do it at Thursday night before Friday morning breaks, others choose to do it on the day they are born (Sunday to Saturday combined with one of the Javanese 5 days. which is Paing, Pon, Wage, Kliwon and Legi — so if you combine, it can be Thursday Kliwon, Tuesday Legi, etc which are astrologically calculated in a very complicated system. Don’t ask me further about Javanese astrology – I’m zero!

By the way, people traditionally do the ritual ancestor prayer once in 35-40 days or on special dates/occasions but nowadays most people do it twice in a year: around Ramadan and in Javanese new year (lunar calendar). Me? Don’t ask…. 😂

Prayers
To me chanted prayer is a set of (poetic and romantic) line to synchronise the emotions through all senses with the inner self by focusing on what are uttered or sung. Chanted prayer improves concentration. It helps achieve the oneness within self. So, make sure you understand what you are saying in the prayer. Otherwise, you become a talking parrot.

In Javanese old tradition people recite some “tembang” the Javanese songs which reflect wishes and philosophical thought. Young Javanese used to be taught how to sing those songs in elementary school but now that lesson has gone from the formal education and replaced by popular music lesson as a result of modern culture massively affecting and marginalising the local potential.

While Dhandhanggula verses are commonly chosen to be sung softly by those who are good enough to be heard by the wind and human beings — oh please excuse my out of tune; other Javanese songs (Mocopat) can be the alternatives. People can only use the tembang’s tones or tones and verses. There is no rigid rule for that.

Some others will use Quranic verses containing universal prayers — Javanese culture has been merged and amalgamated with many different religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and strongly with Islam) and so Quranic verses are inserted or substituting some items in the culture. Many will choose QS Yaasiin allegedly the “heart of Quran” or QS Arrahman that contains a lot of heavenly joy to reflect our prayers that all ancestors’ souls are living in heaven. Many people also use QS Alfatihah allegedly the “mother of the Book” or the “mother of Quran” which is much shorter than the other two.

Why Quran is used in many aspects of Javanese? There is a lot of synchronicity between Javanese thinking tradition (Kejawen) with the Islam spirituality (Sufi) and that has developed mutual functionality between those traditions.

If you live in Java island especially central to eastern part of the island for just a while (one week maybe), ou will shift understanding about the Islam which you might have perceived as a rigid teaching originated from Arab land. Islam in Java is different at an almost extreme level of characteristics from Arabian culture. No, no I don’t hate Arab or the “Arabian Islam”, I just don’t want people to wrongly think that all muslims are rigid and narrow minded just by some wrongly-defined teaching or hatred-based perception made by some irresponsible Orientalists. Please don’t judge my language. I don’t mean anything but “Islam isn’t like what you think it is, You should travel more to know more.” Ok, I rest my case.

The other group will just say nothing at all, their prayers are uttered silently in the secret language that can only be understood by those praying.

What do we pray for? We pray for the joy of ancestors’ soul — I myself like to whisper in English “Dear beloved and respected Ancestors, may you be living peacefully in the heart of green birds in heaven. May you be blessed with good sight of seeing us remembering and praying for you. May you be greeting us too when we realise that we exist after and through you.” Then we pray for our own selves — whatever good prayer we want to chant. What is good prayer? My goodness, any prayer for your happiness and success! 😊

Semar – a character in Javanese shadow puppet whose prayer is always “thank you” for all given by Life. Many Javanese idolise him for his humble yet respected life.

Preparation of Drink and Food
If you know ancestors’ favourite drink and food, prepare them. If not, take your most favourite and remember to always prepare the best ones.

I never know what my ancestors’ favourite food but I know my father loved “kue lapis” – that with layers of coloured rice cake. So kue lapis is always there accompanied by others.

And the beverage is always kopi tubruk and teh tubruk because those two types are the favourite of all in Javanese tradition. Kopi tubruk is plain brewed ground coffee – we don’t filter it, no strainer no no, some people let the coffee powder settle at the bottom of the cup but some will drink the black black coffee with some coffee paste in it, and don’t forget sugar! Teh tubruk is the other one: you just throw dried tea leaves into a cup, pour boiled water, let the leaves drown down, then sip it up with or no sugar!

Cigarettes? I am sorry, dear Ancestors. Smoking isn’t healthy as cigarettes nowadays are made of those hazardous chemicals that will harm your health. So, please excuse this decision. 😁

Yummy! My mother said I am not supposed to eat it after the prayer, but I do….
Good “kopi tubruk” and “teh tubruk” for the beloved and respected ancestors

Flowers
What flowers are used? The key is always “what’s you ancestors’ favourite?” As I am not sure what my ancestors’ favourite flowers, I just refer to what flowers are commonly used in the tradition. Jasmine, rose, ylangylang and magnolia alba are the ones. As I could only find rose then rose it is! I plan to use sunflower, lily or orchid next time as they re my fave!

Why flower? Flower is always associated with fragrance. Fragrance symbolises the good deeds that were dedicated by our ancestors in their life time that will be eternally carved as a sacred key to connect with their bloodline. It also symbolises our good deeds to connect with ancestors. Only when we do our good deed and preserve ancestors’ good deeds, will we connect strongly with the powerful blessings from ancestors.

Being a modern human being should not stop me from remembering that I can only exist with “the good heart and help” of those up above the branches and trunk in a family tree. Hey, we might be a part of a giant family tree – Homo Sapiens whose ancestors are the same. So, next time I’ll probably pray for everyone’s ancestors.

May all beings be happy.

Temasek, Oct. 29, 2020 / 00:44