JAVANESE WEDDING CELEBRATION IN YOGYAKARTA

A sincere  love between a woman and man should end  in a marriage.  Indonesia has many diverse cultures. This enormous variety in cultures has a great impact in marriage ceremonies. As a center of culture, civilization and power ever since the Hindu period of it’s story, Java has great wedding ceremony.

For this special event, the solid team work to handle is a must. As for the foreigner who willing to feel an experience of how’s the wedding celebration made in Javanese style, we are working seriously and carefully, so they will easily understand and enjoy for their live experience  for having special wedding  celebration package  here in Yogya.

We successfully handle some wedding celebration, for example  for  the Dutch newly couple married, held at the Joglo of Yogya Village Inn hotel  in 2001. Another success wedding celebration held at candi Sewu (nearby candi Prambanan  Yogyakarta) for the newly Russian couple married  in August 2004.

The wedding procession it self are the same, you could decide for the place of the wedding, starting normal and simple Joglo, luxury Joglo at Rumah Sleman or even set at sacred area like the temple area.

For further information, arrangement, please feel free to contact us…

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UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT ON OFFER IN SPECIAL HONEYMOON PACKAGE

Features : August 14 , 2004

Sri Wahyuni , The Jakarta  Post / Klaten, Central Java

It was Monday afternoon at Candi Sewu, a Buddhist temple  in Bener, Bugisan village, Prambanan sub – district, Klaten, Central Java  about 17 kilometers east of  Yogyakarta.

The sun was about to set when honeymoon Russian couple, Finskiy Maxim  and Kyyda  Vladislava arrived in front of the ancient, flower-adorned temple, ready to act out a “wedding ceremony“ in classical Javanese style.

Both were decked out in traditional Javanese wedding costumes, locally known as Paes Ageng (the grand style, usually reserved for princely and noble families). However  the bride had opted to forego the traditional make up, which normally takes four to five hours to apply. Tienuk Rifki, a top Javanese wedding stylist, who was in charge of the make up “operations“ said the bride could only stand one hour of the make up work.

We were all prepared for the “Paes Ageng“ make up, actually, but she didn’t want to have  a Cengkorong on her forehead  “said Tienuk”,  referring to the traditional v-shaped design drawn on a Javanese bride’s forehead. Tienuk did this for princess Pembayun when she married the Yogyakarta Sultan,  Hamengku Buwono X.

Similarly, the parents  of the newly married couple were absent from the celebration, unlike in traditional Javanese wedding ceremonies, which  were originally not just hosted by the bride and groom’s parents, but also by members of their extended families. In this case, the Russian couple were only accompanied during the  on-hour-long ceremony by two friends.

This is part of honeymoon package comprising a wedding reception and leisure activities. We are  trying our best  to provide the best, and that’s why  we only hire professionals for this ,”Anny Yulianti  a director  of Grand Java Tour and Travel, which organized the celebration, told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the event, referring to the involvement of noted make up artist Tienuk Rifki.

To  make the celebration as authentic as possible, two pairs of actors and actress as the parents of the bride and groom. Stage actress Tatik Wardiyono acted as the bride’s mother.

Stepping out of their car  the happy couple were escorted to the place where the “wedding celebration“ was to be enacted – a small, raised stone platform sandwiched between two Dwarapala statues, right inside the temple’s main entrance gate.

There, the bride and groom went through a series of rituals, before being finally seated on carved wooden chairs placed  on the stone floor of the platform, with their “parent” flanking them.

Among the  rituals they underwent were balang balangan gantal (throwing rolled betel leaves at each other) Mijiki (the  bride washes the groom’ foot after he steps on an egg), Kacar Kucur (the groom place a mixture of coins, rice and beans on to piece of cloth held by the bride to symbolize that he is the one who will provide for the family) and Dhahar Klimah (where the bride and groom symbolically feed each other to symbolize  harmony).

Javanese Enggar-enggar and Gambyong dances were also performed to entertain the couple, before they finally left the venue on a decorated, horse drawn carriage to the place where the wedding diner as to be served at the neighboring Prambanan temple.

Although they looked somewhat awkward at first, the couple seemed  to thoroughly enjoy the entire  event, as could be seen by their smiles. The bride, Kyyda Vladislava, for example, was often seen moving her hands and shoulders during the Gambyong dance, in time with the dancers movements.

“This is what I call creativity in promoting tourism”. We are blessed with great cultural and natural riches.  It’s only a  matter of how we package these  into marketable tourist packages. For this, wee need creativity, said Tazbir, “the Yogyakarta Provincial Tourism Agency marketing chief, who also attended the celebration”.

These sort of packages  according to Tazbir, would not just benefit the hotels where the tourists stayed, but also many other components in the community, including traditional make up artist and their assistant, gamelan players, dancers and everybody else involved.  “They all are local people”, he said .

For  the Grand Java Tour firm it self, Mondays event was not the first such wedding celebration package it has handled. In 2001, A Dutch newly wedding couple had a “wedding“ celebration at  Joglo (Javanese traditional house)  in the Yogya Village Inn. On that occasion, the couple’s parents were also present.

Now we are in the middle of preparing a number of similar packages. our partners in Sweden and the Netherlands  have been asking for more information on wedding celebration plus leisure package like this one , said Anny.

Anny also said that her company was planning  to market the packages in Malaysia and Singapore, and expressed optimism about  the business‘s prospects, especially  given the skills and facilities available in the region, including the bridal spa services offered by a nearby five-star hotel, the Sheraton  Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa .

“Of course, we are more then ready to joint hands with travel agents to promote these innovative packages. To make them a success,  it will require among  all the stake holders“, said Sheraton Mustika  general manager Rully Zulkarnaen, who also attended the  Russian couple’s  “wedding”  celebration.

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JAVANESE  WEDDING CREMONY

As pre wedding ceremony, there are many ritual  done before the wedding ceremony it self.

First will be Peningsetan (traditional engagement), Siraman (bathing ceremony), Midodareni (ceremony on the eve before the wedding) and the wedding  celebration.

Siraman Ceremony

Siraman means to take a bath. For the couple in the wedding ritual, it means to become clean, their bodies as well their souls. Siraman for the bridge will be conducted at her parent’s house, for the groom is conducted at his parent’s house. The place for Siraman normally at the garden, which is specially designed for this purpose. The list of persons for bathing the couple  is selected  limited to seven.  Seven in Javanese is PITU, so they are giving  PITULUNGAN (meaning help).

Several items have to be prepared :

A big bowl, usually made of copper or bronze, filled with water

Setaman flowers – rose, jasmine, magnolia and Kenanga  to be put in the water.

Colorful powder –five colors– functioning as soap.

Traditional shampoo and conditioner (ashes of rice straw, coconut milk and tamarind juice).

Gayung  (water dipper) made from 2 coconuts.

A small chair, covered with: Old mat – white cloth – several kind of plant leaves- dlingo bengle herbs (plant used in medicines) – bango tulak cloths (4 patterns) – lurik (striped woven materials).

White cotton cloth to be worn during Siraman.

Batik cloth.

Kendi – earthenware flask with a neck and a spout.

 

Traditional Sajen (offering) in Javanese ritual is considered very important. It has a deep symbolic meaning, to get protection from God.

Siraman’s sajen consist of :

 

Tumpeng  Robyong, a yellow rice cone with decoration.

Tumpeng Gundul, a yellow rice cone with no decoration.

Cold food  and chicken egg.

Bananas and other fruits.

A peeled coconut and come coconut sugar.

Seven kind of porridge.

Sweet cookies and cookies made of glutinous rice.

A cock, lantern.

Telon flowers (Kenanga , jasmine ,magnolia).

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THE WEDDING CEREMONY PROCESSION

1. SANGGAN

The bridegroom’s family  will give sanggan for the bride’s family as a symbol of appreciation of the  ceremony. Pisang Sanggan (a gift in the form of banana fruits and flowers put in a tray covered with banana leaves).

2. PANGGIH

The wonderful and mystical sound of Gamelan (a Javanese music instruments) accompanies a traditional sacred  PANGGIH or TEMU (means meeting) between a beautiful bride and her Handsome bridegroom in front of a house.

The bridegroom, accompanied by his close relatives (but not his parents who are not allowed to be present during the ritual, arrives at the house of the bridge’s parents and stops at the gate of the house.

The bride, accompanied by two elderly women, walks out of the bridal room. Her parents and close relatives walk behind her.

Preceding the bride are two young girls.  Patah, holding a fan. Two elderly women or two young boys are carrying  two Kembar Mayang   (bouquet ornament), about one meter of height.

During the Panggih ceremony, the Kembar Mayang are brought outside the house and thrown away in a crossroad nearby the house depicting all evil spirits should not disturb the ceremony in the house and it’s surrounding area. For decoration, one pair has been put on the right and left side of the couple’s wedding chair during the reception.

Kembar Mayang is used only if the couple was unmarried before.

3. BALANGAN SURUH CEREMONY

The bride is meeting the bridegroom. They approach each other. When they are about three meters from each other, they start throwing to each other seven small bundles of betel leaves with lime inside tied together with white yarn. They do it eagerly and happily, everyone is smiling happy. According to ancient belief, betel leaves have the power to chase away bad spirits. By throwing betel leaves to each other, it should be proved that they are really the genuine persons, not some ghost or another person who pretends to be the bride or the bridegroom.

4. MIJIKI  CEREMONY

The bridegroom crashes an egg with his right foot. The bride washes the bridegroom’s foot using water mixed with several kinds of flowers. It depicts that the bridegroom is ready to become a responsible father and the bride should faithfully serve her husband.

5. The couple will then go to the bride chair accompanied by their parents.

6. KACAR KUCUR  OR  TAMPA KAYA CEREMONY

With the help of  the Pemaes, the couple walk arm in arm, or more precisely holding each other with their little finger,  to the site of the ritual. There, the bride gets from the bridegroom  some soybeans, peanuts, paddy rice, corns, yellow rice, herbs, flower and coins of different values (the quantity of the coins must be even). It depict that the husband should give all his income to his wife. The bride carefully receives these gifts in a small white cloth, above  an old mat that has been put on her lap. She should be a good and caring housewife.

7. DHAHAR KLIMAH  or DAHAR KEMBUL CEREMONY

The wedding couple is eating together, feeding each other. The Pemaes, as the leader of the ceremony, gives a plate to the bride with yellow rice, fried eggs, soybean, temple and fried meat. First, the bridegroom makes three small balls of rice with his right hand and gives it to the bride. After the bride has eaten, she will do the same for the bridegroom. When they are finished, they drink sweet tea. The ritual depicts the couple should use and enjoy their belongings together.

8. SUNGKEMAN CEREMONY

While they kneel, the couple will ask for the blessing of their parents. First from the parents of the bride, then from the parents of the bridegroom. During the Sungkeman, the Pemaes takes out the Keris from the bridegroom. After the ritual, the bridegroom wears again his Keris.

After the wedding rituals, the reception follows. Karonsih dance (the dance of 2 lover).

The newly-wed flanked by their parents receive blessing and greeting from the guests.

For the wedding celebration, normally we only provide the wedding procession only, without pre rituals like Siraman and Midodareni.

After the wedding ceremony done, by decorated Andong (horse – car) the newly couple, the parents  will enjoying the village surrounding.

FOR WEDDING CELEBRATION, WE HAVE  4 CATEGORIES OF THE PACKAGE

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Technorati Tags: Celebration, Javanese, wedding, Yogyakarta

Tags: Celebration, Javanese, wedding, Yogyakarta