Welcoming the sweetness of Tebu Manten at Madukismo

Wed, July 10, 2019 / 09:32 am

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Two girls wearing traditional attire wait next to a horse-drawn carriage before the start of the Kirab Tebu Manten ritual. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Bregada (soldiers) unload drums for the parade in the Maducandya parking lot. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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A staff member of Madukismo, dressed in traditional Javanese attire, burns incense before praying for the ceremony to run well. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Edan-edanan (clown) dancers join the parade. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers dressed in traditional attire use banana leaves as umbrellas to protect them from the rain during the parade. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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A “dowry” of Rp 5 million (US$345) is brought into the An-Nuur Mosque on the east side of the Madukismo Sugar Factory. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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The wedding ceremony of Kyai Sukro and Nyai Kasih, the sugarcane bride and groom, takes place in the An-Nuur Mosque. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Locals attend and record the wedding ceremony through their mobile phones. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Villagers in traditional attire enter the Madukismo factory compound. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Employees of the Madukismo Sugar Factory dress in traditional Javanese attire and stand in front of the milling station. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Kyai Sukro and Nyai Kasih are placed at the mouth of the milling machine before being milled. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Locals pray at the Madukismo factory. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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A buffalo head, covered with a white cloth and rose petals, is to be buried in front of the milling station. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Each division in the Madukismo factory prepares offerings for the ritual. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko
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Two Madukismo employees carrying the offerings that have been prayed over get their picture taken. Afterwards, they took the offerings home. JP/Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko

Anggertimur Lanang Tinarbuko

People gathered at the Madukismo sugarcane and rubbing alcohol factory in Jl. Padokan, Tirtonirmolo subdistrict, Kasihan district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, at midday. They brought along their children and families to witness the annual Cembengan ritual. The ritual is an opening ceremony for the start of the milling and refining of sugarcane between April and October.

During the Cembengan ritual, locals enthusiastically wait for the Kirab Tebu Manten – a parade in which two sugarcanes are dressed and treated as a married couple.

The tebu manten (married sugarcane) is carried on a horse-drawn carriage accompanied by a band and various art groups from the community around the Madukismo factory.
The parade begins from the Maducandya meeting hall, then goes around the Madukismo Sugar Factory to have the “wedding ceremony” performed at the An-Nuur Mosque on the east side of the factory.

The “groom”, a sugar cane from the Candimulyo area of Magelang, is named Kyai Sukro and the “bride”, a sugarcane harvested from the Sedayu area of Bantul, is named Nyai Kasih.
Locals believe that the Tebu Manten is a form of a request to God and nature to keep them safe during the milling and refining of the sugarcane.

Rahmat Edi Cahyono, commissioner of PT Madubaru, which supervises the Madukismo factory, said the “marriage” of the pair of sugarcanes was expected to help produce a larger quantity and higher quality of sugar and alcohol.

After the entourage of Kyai Sukro and Nyai Kasih enters the factory, the pair of sugarcanes is put in the mouth of the milling machine. In this 2019 milling period, the Madukismo factory would grind about 550,000 tons of sugar cane. On average, the factory can process 3,500 tons of sugarcane per day for about 160 days.

The ceremony concludes with the burial of a buffalo head in front of the milling station by Madukismo
officials. [yan]