An elderly woman walked along the banks of the Solo River in Kampung Beton in Surakarta, Central Java. She and her friends were on the way to Taman Tempuran, carrying woven bamboo trays with about 1,000 apem, or round rice-flour cakes, and offerings of flowers.

The woman, Amung Hartono, a village elder, and the group were then seen arranging the apem and flowers beside Tugu Apem Sewu, a demarcation marker n the river'€™s bank.

It was a quiet moment, broken only by the sound of water flowing down the stream. The residents joining Amung squatted to face the river. The 73-year-old started to say a prayer, although the words were spoken indistinctly.

'€œIt was a prayer asking for the safety of the people throughout the village,'€ Amung said later.

Then the woman took some of the cakes and threw them into the river, with the remainder grabbed by those watching the procession or given to the residents of nearby Sewu subdistrict.

Kampung Beton is close to the center of business in the bustling city of Surakarta (Solo) and the town is just a few kilometers from the city'€™s Sebelas Maret University. However, the ritual seen on that day, handed down through generations, continues to be observed on every 10th day of the month of Zulkaidah, according to the Javanese calendar, despite development.

Offerings: Flowers and tobacco are presented as part of the Wilujengan Apem Sewu ritual observed by the residents of Kampung Beton.
According to Amung, the Wilujengan Apem Sewu (or Thousand Apem Distribution Ritual, in Javanese) has been practiced for the last 150 years. It was supposedly introduced by Kyai Ageng Gribig, believed by local people to be the founder of Sewu sub-district.

'€œBefore leaving the area, Kyai Ageng Gribig asked residents to perform the tradition on every 10th day of Zulkaidah,'€ she says. Another participant, Nina Sarwo Sri, 55, said that every members of the Sewu subdistrict community joined the apem ceremony in the old days.

Gradually, however, the number of participants has declined.The latest observation of the ritual last month involved fewer than 20 people.

Nina was undeterred. '€œAlthough few people follow the ritual, it should be preserved.'€

People in Kampung Beton dip into their own pockets to make the 1,000 cakes needed for the ritual. '€œApem is made of rice flour, palm sugar and fermented cassava,'€ Nina said.

The cakes are renowned as a typical snack of Kampung Beton and the Sewu subdistrict is famous as an apem production center. According to a historian Tundjung W. Sutirta at Sebelas Maret University, the tradition was inseparable from the cultural influence of the Mataram kingdom of old. It was introduced by Kyai Ageng Gribig, the son of King Brawijaya V, the last Majapahit monarch, who was himself close to Sultan Agung, the leader of Mataram.

Procession: Residents carry apem cakes and other offering to the Solo River.
The story according to Tundjung is that Kyai Ageng Gribig, who was born in East Wasibagno, was on his way to spread Islamic teachings along the Solo River when he reached what would become Sewu subdistrict.

Stopping, Ageng Gribig built a small mosque on the spot and began to tell the local residents about the Muslim religion.

Ageng Gribig gave cakes to the people, telling them that Muslims should give alms to the poor and share their fortune with the less fortunate. The apem symbolized an expression of gratitude to God and a plea for God'€™s mercy. '€œThe word apem was derived from affan in Arabic, meaning forgiveness,'€ Tundjung said.

The use of apem began to be required by Javanese custom for the ritual '€” not only in Sewu subdistrict, but in nearby Klaten, Central Java, as well.

There the ceremony is called Yaqowiyu and carried out in the Javanese month of Sapar, as taught by Kyai Ageng Gribig in his sojourn in Klaten.

Meanwhile in Solo, the municipal administration pays particular attention to the ritual. Widdy Srihanto, who heads the local culture and tourism office, says that the Wilujengan Apem Sewu in Sewu subdistrict is part of Surakarta'€™s intangible cultural heritage. He wants to preserve the practice of the ritual in years to come.

Preservation of the annual event, according to Widdy, is in line with the development of the city, where Solo'€™s future is reflected in its past glory.

To that end, the Apem Sewu tradition has been livened up by a carnival, although not on the date chosen by Kyai Ageng Gribig.

The carnival was expected to make the general public more familiar with the Apem Sewu tradition, while attracting more tourists to Solo.

'€œFestivals and ceremonies in sub-district areas of the city can hopefully promote Solo'€™s tourism sector,'€ Widdy said.

'€œWith its multiplier effect, tourism promotion will positively affect local citizens'€™ economic improvement and empowerment.'€

'€” Photos by Ade Rizal