P

arade marches, offerings and unique ceremonies marked the Islamic New Year’s Eve 1434 celebrations, or Muharram, in various cities across the archipelago on Thursday.

The celebration might be considered less popular than Idul Fitri, but this year’s events offered a series of cultural displays.

In Yogyakarta, hundreds of residents and abdi dalem (royal servants) performed a ritual called lampah mubeng beteng (march around palace walls) at midnight in the Yoyakarta palace complex in Keben to greet Islamic New Year’s Eve, locally known as Satu Suro.

Some kidung (songs) were chanted and prayers were recited before the rituals kicked off. The royal servants, clad in traditional Javanese attire, carried Indonesian flags and other symbols as they marched the streets followed by hundreds of enthusiastic residents.

Danu Wresni, a royal servant, said participants were not allowed to talk, drink, eat and smoke during the 5-kilometer march.

“While walking in silence, we said our prayers. The aim of this ritual is to invite people to thank God and ask him for safety and prosperity,” said Danu as quoted by Antara news agency.

People living on the slope of Mount Semeru in Sumbermujur, Lumajang, East Java, welcomed Muharram differently.

Dozens of villagers provided offerings that included nasi tumpeng (cone-shaped yellow rice), various fruits, vegetables and a cow’s head.

The offerings were later taken from the village hall to a spring at Bambu Forest on the slope of Mount Semeru to perform a ceremony called larung pendam saji.

“Such a ritual is held on Islamic New Year’s Eve,” said Heri Gunawan, a village figure, adding that the tradition was performed as an expression of their gratitude to God for the abundance of crops they had earned.

“We also ask him to keep Mount Semeru calm so it continues to provide good fortune for the residents living around the mountain. The ceremony is the symbol of our gratitude for the blessings we have received this year,” he went on.

He hoped that the tradition would be preserved and that it would draw tourists to the village.

The residents later buried the cow’s head in the ground above the spring, which is believed to be the life source of the villagers.

In Kediri, also in East Java, hundreds of people struggled to snatch nasi tumpeng, vegetables or snacks from the gunungan (offerings) because the items were paraded after the ritual. People also tried to get Rp 1,000 coins (US 10 cents) and Rp 500 distributed by the members of the Muharram event committee.

Among other traditional rituals conducted were jamasan (washing sacred objects) and ruwatan (cleansing ritual).

Traditional performances such as reog ponorogo (masked dance), jaranan (horse dance) and even barongsai (Chinese lion dance) were also featured during the ceremony.

In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, thousands of Muslims took part in a long march around the city.

The administration also held a car art competition, participated by students of state schools and Islamic schools, members of Islamic study groups and officials at a number of agencies in Pontianak. The cars were decorated with Islamic ornaments and paraded across the city.

Meantime, Muslims in Jayapura, Papua, chose an educational approach to celebrate the New Year. Residents and students joined a 3-kilometer morning parade, while at the same time, cleaned the city streets.