Sekaten (; from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word '' syahadatain'') is a week-long Javanese traditional ceremony, festival,

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

and

pasar malam ''Pasar malam'' is a Malay language, Malay word that literally means "night market" (the word ''pasar'' comes from ''bazaar'' in Persian language, Persian). A ''pasar malam'' is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore that o ...

(

night market Night markets or night bazaars ( zh, 夜市) are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. The culture of night markets originates from C ...

) commemorating

Mawlid The Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of some Sunnis, Mawlid is al ...

(the birthday of the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

), celebrated annually started on 5th day through the 12th day of (Javanese Calendar) Mulud month (corresponding to

Rabi' al-awwal Rabiʽ al-Awwal (, also known as Rabi' al-Ula (), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name ''Rabī‘ al-awwal'' means "''the first month'' or ''beginning of Spring (season), spring''", referring to its position in the ...

in Islamic Calendar). The festivities usually took place in northern ''alun-alun'' (square) in

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

, and simultaneously also celebrated in northern alun-alun of

Surakarta Surakarta (Javanese script, Javanese: , Pegon script, Pegon: ), known colloquially as Solo (Javanese script, Javanese: ; ), is a major List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java, Indonesia. The city adjoins Karanganyar Reg ...

. This ceremony originally were initiated by Sultan Hamengkubuwana I, the founder of

Yogyakarta Sultanate The Sultanate of Yogyakarta, officially the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat ( ; ), is a Javanese monarchy in Yogyakarta Special Region, in the Republic of Indonesia. The current head of the sultanate is Hamengkubuwono X. Yogyakart ...

to promote the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

faith.

Gamelan Sekaten

On day one, the ceremony commences after the Isya evening prayer with a royal procession of royal guards and 'abdi dalem' court officials accompanying two sets of centuries old gamelan traditional music instruments, the Kyai Nogo Wilogo and Kyai Guntur Madu. The royal procession, led by the Sultan and Governor of Yogyakarta or his representative, begins in Pendopo Ponconiti, the main hall of Kraton Yogyakarta and proceeds towards Yogyakarta Great Mosque in northern Alun-Alun. The Kyai Nogo Wilogo gamelan will be placed at the northern pavilion of Grand Mosque, while Gamelan Kyai Guntur Madu will be placed at Pagongan pavilion in southern side of the mosque. These two set of sacred gamelans will be played simultaneously everyday until the 11th day of Maulud month through seven consecutive days. During the last day the two gamelans will be returned into the Kraton. The Gamelan Sekaten of Surakarta are played in the same manner as their Yogyakarta counterparts, and are brought out to the mosque and returned to the palace in a royal procession led by the Sunan of Surakarta and the Mayor and City Council of Surakarta.

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 singing traditional songs accompanied with rhythmic hitting of ''kentongan'' (bamboo or wooden

slit drum A slit drum, or slit gong, is a hollow percussion instrument, often made out of wood or bamboo. In spite of its often being called a drum, it is not a true drum, because it lacks a ''drumhead'', the membrane (made out of animal skin or plastic) ...

) and ''lumpang'' (rice mortar and pestle), that marked the making of ''Gunungan'' which will be carried in ''Grebeg Mulud'' festival. The traditional Javanese '' kue'' called ''

wajik ''Wajik'' or ''wajid'', also known as ''pulut manis'', is a traditional glutinous sweet made with rice, sugar and coconut milk. It is an Indonesia, Indonesian ''kue'', and a ''kuih'' of Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia (especially in the state of Sa ...

'' which is diamond-shaped sticky rice in palm sugar, is an essential part of this ceremony, and included within ''gunungan'' offering. The song played in this Tumplak Wajik ceremony is usually the popular Javanese traditional songs, such as Lompong Keli, Tundhung Setan, Owal awil.

Grebeg Muludan

In Yogyakarta, the main event of Sekaten is called the ''Grebeg Muludan'' that held in 12th day (exactly during the birthday of 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 the royal guards of the palace (the companies under His Majesty's Kraton Guard Regiment): Wirobrojo, Daeng, Patangpuluh, Jogokaryo, Prawirotomo, Nyutro, Ketanggung, Mantrijero, Surokarso, and Bugis Companies, together with the Royal Guard Battalion of the Duchy of

Pakualaman The Principality of Pakualaman (also written Paku Alaman; Dutch-spelling: Pakoe-alaman) is a minor Javanese princely state within the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. It was created in 1812 when Natakusuma (later Prince Paku Alam I) was rewarded for ...

. 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 Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese people, Javanese kingdom on the island of Java (island), Java before it was Dutch Empire, colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the inte ...

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.

References

External links

{{Islam in Indonesia Javanese culture Tourist attractions in Yogyakarta Festivals in Indonesia Surakarta Events in Yogyakarta