Mountain of hopes: The residents parade a mountain-shaped offering called gunungan around Ngestiharjo village.

The Wiwitan ritual in Ngestiharjo village in Bantul, Yogyakarta, does more than just reliving the centuries-old tradition. 

Before Islam arrived in the archipelago in the 9th century, farmers on Java performed the Wiwitan ritual to thank Dewi Sri for blessing them with a successful harvest.

In Javanese mythology, Wiwitan is carried out to maintain human relationships with God, as well as maintain the rice field. The tradition of Wiwitan takes the old rice to be kept for use in the planting season.

The forgotten tradition has been revived again by Sanggar Anak Alam (SALAM), a learning community established by Sri Wahyaningsih and her husband, Toto Rahardjo, in June 2000 in Ngestiharjo village in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

Goddess on Earth: The Wiwitan ritual involves two children and a teenage girl who dresses as Dewi Sri – the goddess of rice and fertility in Javanese mythology.

More than just a thanksgiving celebration, SALAM’s version of the Wiwitan ritual signifies the farmers’ hope for a better future.

“Today, our farmers are not as skillful as our farmers used to be in the olden days. Now, our farmers depend on factories to get rice seeds,” Sri said.

“Through this ritual, we hope that our farmers will be able to produce rice seeds on their own.“

Clad in traditional attire, dozens of Ngestiharjo residents gathered on the afternoon of April 23 to start the ritual.

Lunch for gods: The village head starts the Wiwitan ritual by placing offerings on the side of a rice field. The offerings, known as ubo rampe, include flowers, a jug of water, fruits and a tumpeng (cone-shaped serving of rice accompanied by side dishes).

The village head of Ngestiharjo, referred to as Kamituwo, placed offerings called ubo rampe in the rice field. The offerings include flowers, a jug of water, fruits and a tumpeng (cone-shaped serving of rice accompanied by side dishes).

After Kamituwo had lit incense sticks, the residents started chanting a prayer in Javanese, asking Dewi Sri to bless them with a successful harvest.

Nani Sawitri, a mask dance maestro from Cirebon, West Java, sat cross-legged on the ground, praying alone. She is believed to have the ability to deliver people’s prayer to the goddess and nature.

Kamituwo continued the procession by giving a bundle of young rice stalks to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice and fertility who is represented by a teenage girl clad in a regal green dress and jewelry.  

Gratitude and hope: The residents of Ngestiharjo village in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, perform the Wiwitan ritual to show their gratitude for a successful harvest and their hope for a better future.

The “Dewi Sri” then handed the first rice grains to a girl, identified as Pelangi (Rainbow), and a boy, identified as Bumi (Earth). This procession symbolizes the residents’ hope that the village will always be blessed with a good harvest.

The time has come for Nani’s celebrated mask dance performance. Surrounded by eleven housewives from Ngestiharjo village sitting cross-legged in a circle, Nani danced gracefully as a form of prayer to god.

The eleven women then performed a tolak bala dance to ward off evil spirits. While watching the dance, local and foreign tourists enjoyed local dishes and cakes alongside the residents.

Seven elder women, in blue kebaya and caping (conical) hat, sang a Javanese song while beating a rhythm with a wooden rice pounder. Meanwhile, the men and the youngsters paraded gunungan, a cone-shaped offering filled with vegetables and fruit.

Mystical moves: Nani Sawitri, a mask dance maestro from Cirebon, West Java, performs as part of the Wiwitan ritual. The locals believe that Nani can directly send their prayers to god through her dance moves.

— Photos by A. Kurniawan Ulung