After the harvest in Wonosadi

Mon, September 24, 2018 / 03:11 pm

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The view of paddy fields after harvest in Beji village, Ngawen district, Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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The food is blessed by the elderly. It contains chicken, savory rice, noodles, tofu, tempeh and others. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers gather to start the ritual after the harvest at the Wonosadi customary forest. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Food is wrapped in teak leaves. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers, carrying food in their baskets, walk to the Wonosadi customary forest. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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One of the villagers ties his food wraps onto a bamboo pole. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers carry their food on bamboo poles as they walk to the forest. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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A message – believed to be conveyed by prince Onggoloco through the ancestors – is written in Javanese lettering. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers – clad in Javanese traditional costumes – sit on the ground under the shade of the trees of the Wonosadi forest. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Elders of the village pray to God and their ancestors to express gratitude for a prosperous harvest. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Prayers are accompanied by the rinding gumbeng (a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo). JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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A villager carries food. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Two villagers enjoy eating together. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko

Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko

Gunungkidul is a regency in Yogyakarta, infamous for its dry and barren landscape as most of its area consists of karst. In the northeast of Gunungkidul, there is a protected customary forest called the Wonosadi forest, located in Beji village, Ngawen district.

Once a year on a Monday, villagers take food to the forest so that they can eat together there.

One of the elders will bless the food carried by the villagers. The food is wrapped in teak and banana leaves, including tumpeng (cone-shaped rice), whole chicken, noodles, tofu, tempeh and crackers.

The tradition expresses gratitude to Mother Earth for a good harvest.

After walking for 500 meters to Wonosadi forest, villagers will collect their harvest and food and bless it, before eating together. The blessing is accompanied by the rinding gumbeng (a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo).

The event ends with a rush to collect the harvest. [yan]