A unique tradition to welcome Ramadhan

Sat, May 20, 2017 / 09:37 am

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Some men clean the Sendhang Gedhe natural pool at Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang, on May 12. JP/Suherdjoko
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Various foods are available during the Nyadran ceremony (a tradition for Javanese Muslims in Central Java that combines culture with religion ahead of Ramadhan) at Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang on May 12. JP/Suherdjoko
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Villagers share their food after the Nyadran ritual at the Puroloyo Cemetery, Tunggulsari, Cepogo, Boyolali regency, Central Java, on May 14. JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi
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Dozens of residents of Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang, bring various foods for the Nyadran ceremony. JP/Suherdjoko
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Senior citizens and others of Samiran village, in Selo district, Boyolali regency, Central Java, pray together prior to the ceremony. JP/ Stefanus Ajie
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A villager walks across the road to join the Nyadran tradition at Cepogo, Boyolali regency, Central Java. JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi
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Villagers of Samiran village, Selo, Boyolali, Central Java, walk to the Kyai Hajar Saloka tomb to join the ceremony. JP/Stefanus Ajie
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A man and a child pray beside the grave of one of their relatives during the ceremony. JP/Stefanus Ajie
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Some villagers share food kept inside tenong (containers made of aluminum or bamboo), which they brought from home during the ceremony. JP/Stefanus Ajie
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Various fruits and other food inside tenong (containers made of aluminum or bamboo). JP/Stefanus Ajie

Hundreds of men, women and children gathered near the Sendhang Gedhe natural pool in Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang, Central Java, on Friday morning, bringing food such as rice, tofu, tempeh, fried eggs, rempeyek (peanut crackers) and salted fish in baskets.

The gathering was more than just a local feast, as the villagers gathered to pray for their ancestors ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan in a tradition called Nyadran.

Following prayers, the villagers sat under large trees on mats and feasted, using banana leaves as a substitute for plates.

“We welcome Ramadhan by cleansing our soul through prayers and we also pray for our ancestors to God. We also physically clean our environment, including the Sendhang Gedhe pool. So we welcome fasting month with a clean body and soul,” local neighborhood chief Sugito Mulyono said on Friday.

This year, Ramadhan is scheduled to start on May 27.

Pudak Payung subdistrict chief Ganefo Anwar said both Muslims and non-Muslims were involved in the Nyadran tradition, which he said symbolized peace and harmony.

“This has been a tradition of all people. A tradition that upholds togetherness and mutual cooperation,” he said.

Before the gathering began, dozens of men plunged into the Sendhang Gedhe pool before cleaning it, while other men and women grilled as many as 95 chickens for the feast.

Nyadran, a tradition for Javanese Muslims in Central Java that combines culture with religion ahead of Ramadhan, involves visiting the graves of relatives. By doing so, the tradition aims to remind people to improve their lives.

Tedi Kholiludin, a researcher at the Religion and Peace Study Center at Wahid Hasyim University in Semarang, said the tradition was rooted in teachings by Walisongo — nine saints of Islam who spread the religion across the island of Java. The approach was based on fiqih (Islamic law) and Sufism, he said.

“The transformation of Islamic teachings [was made] so that it [the approach] could be accepted. Religion and culture need not be in conflict,” he said.

read also: http://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/news/2017/05/14/indonesians-uphold-tradition-to-welcome-ramadhan.html

read also: http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/05/16/nyadran-a-unique-tradition-of-welcoming-ramadhan.html