Wednesday, 11Oct06
Highlights: knocked out 5 trip summaries, worked from home, duel between traditional beliefs and religion
Day 18 of the fasting month. (= it’s going allright. Little dehydrated,,, but I drank water like spongebob after 6pm. I had food in the microwave & a plate on the table,,, waiting for the moment the mosque sounded off tonight. Haha.
Eli (my pembantu) made chicken with curry sauce & steamy vegetables earlier… ahh! It was goooooood!
Working from home was a bit of a mixed blessing today. It was nice- but took a long time to get motivated & productive. Once the train left the station though,,, momentum carried me through until 5 am the next morning.
Had a real interesting cultural conversation with Brook today… It’s difficult to tease out all the things Indonesians believe in,,, specifically the seemingly incompatible beliefs. Ask an Indonesian on Monday if they believe in one God, and they won’t blink twice: of course! Ask the same guy on Tuesday whether there mystic spirits in the mountains or seas, forests & trees, and you may get another yes. There are a lot of lingering traditional beliefs that one could describe as Animism (the belief of spirits residing in inanimate objects), which seem at odds on paper with monotheism, but common in practice. I’m not sure if it’s irony or not, but no-one seems to connect the two as mutually incompatible. I’m just trying to figure this out though, so maybe I’m misreading something. Two examples are Mount Merapi and the South Sea.
Merapi, just 20 miles north of Yogyakarta, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It erupts every 5 years, on average, and is seen both as a source of life and death. Its ash produces some of the most fertile soil in Java (giving life), and hot ash flows + lava occasionally take life away. An 80-year-old man named Maridjan is entrusted by royalty to watch over the volcano's spirits.
According to a 15May CBN news report concerning Merapi’s latest rumblings:
"There is no risk," Maridjan said outside his home just four miles from the crater, which was billowing ash and searing-hot gas clouds Monday. "I am still waiting here." Maridjan, who jokes constantly with visitors and occasionally falls into a trancelike state while looking at the peak, was given the official title of "key holder of Mount Merapi" by the highly respected late king of the nearby court city, Jogjakarta. He leads yearly ceremonies when rice and flowers are thrown into the crater to appease spirits that he and most other nearby villagers believe live over the mountain, which rises from the heart of Indonesia's mystical island of Java. His refusal to budge is angering local authorities in charge of evacuation.
Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid telephoned him last week.
Maridjan and many others living on Merapi's fertile foothills offer a glimpse into Indonesia's deeply mystical and Hindu-Buddhist traditions, which have more recently been overlaid with Islam, the professed faith of the more than 90 percent of the country's 220 million people. Maridjan says there "are many spirits above the mountain, too many to count." Although he is a practicing Muslim, many fellow believers would likely consider some of his beliefs a violation of their strictly monotheistic faith. Visitors to Maridjan's house address him as Mbah, an honorific title meaning grandfather, and speak to him in a high form of the local language reserved for people of status. One police officer sent to persuade him to come down off the mountain says he, too, is an admirer. "He has a special connection to Mount Merapi," said Eko Rudi, as he walked off to perform the midday Islamic prayer. "When I am with him, I feel like a child talking to his father."
Another example is the South Sea.
The sea gives life (water, minerals, fish..) and takes life away when angry (rip tides, storms, tsunamis). Every year tourists are swept out to sea by the currents at Parangtritis beach, 27km south of Yogya. It is said that the handsome men are kept by Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, and the ugly ones are rejected, and wash back to the shore. To this day, locals refuse to wear green to the Parangtritis beach, because that is the queen’s color, and they do not want to anger her.
Fishing around Google, I found the following explanations:
Parangtritis is a historical place closely linked to the mysterious legend of the Queen of the South Sea (Kanjeng Ratu Kidul). The ever youthful and beautiful queen reigns over sea nymphs and spirits. The legend says that Kanjeng Ratu Kidul was married to one of the Mataram Monarchs, Panembahan Senopati, whom she visited and communicated with on certain occasions.
Parangkusumo was used as the meeting place between the kings who reined Mataram Kingdom and Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. Every year, on the 30th day of Rejeb - Javanese calendar based on the rotation of the moon - certain sacred rituals are held. This symbolic ritual involves giving offerings to the Queen of South Sea continuing to the recent inauguration of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the current Sultan/governor of Yogyakarta. Flowers, food, clothes, and the cutting of Sultan's nail and hair will be thrown in to the water of the South Sea and recognized also as The Indian "Kiwon" night.
Other local beliefs regarding Merapi and the Sea include:
the giant who controls the nearby volcano, Mount Merapi. He is Kiyai Sapujagad, and related to Loro Kidul (another name for Kanjeng Ratu Kidul) through his marriage to Her daughter.
Traditional Javanese beliefs said both Kanjeng Loro Kidul and Her fiery son-in-law Kiyai Sapujagad have protected Yogya, the main city in the region, and the surrounding area for centuries. These two powerful spirits have agreed to protect the royal house of Yogyakarta back in legendary times of the Mataram Dynasty (actually just 16 - 17th Century).
In return for their protection, 10 generations of kings in Yogya, holding the title of sultans, are required to present annual offerings of clothes, tobacco, food and flowers, known as the Labuhan ceremonies, to both the spirits of the Southern Sea and Gunung Merapi.
an agreement with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, where the Queen would always protect the kings of Mataram and its people from evil deeds in exchange for the spiritual marriage of every king of the Mataram dynasty to Her.
The stories of Panembahan Senopati are filled with tales of mystical power and occult feats - hardly surprising when Java was then under the powerful influence of Tantric Hinduism.
One legend surrounding him has it that Merapi symbolized the male world while the South Sea symbolized the female. Thus Merapi eruptions symbolize sexual intercourse between Panembahan Senopati and his divine spouse Ratu Kidul, which will bring wealth to the people.
How do you argue with that? It worked for the Greeks and Romans for thousands of years! (= Apparently Ratu Kidul is celebrated as far away as Sri Lanka and India as well. I hope King Neptune & Poseidon don’t mind. Maybe their powers only extend through the warm Mediterranean waters.
Highlights: knocked out 5 trip summaries, worked from home, duel between traditional beliefs and religion
Day 18 of the fasting month. (= it’s going allright. Little dehydrated,,, but I drank water like spongebob after 6pm. I had food in the microwave & a plate on the table,,, waiting for the moment the mosque sounded off tonight. Haha.
Eli (my pembantu) made chicken with curry sauce & steamy vegetables earlier… ahh! It was goooooood!
Working from home was a bit of a mixed blessing today. It was nice- but took a long time to get motivated & productive. Once the train left the station though,,, momentum carried me through until 5 am the next morning.
Had a real interesting cultural conversation with Brook today… It’s difficult to tease out all the things Indonesians believe in,,, specifically the seemingly incompatible beliefs. Ask an Indonesian on Monday if they believe in one God, and they won’t blink twice: of course! Ask the same guy on Tuesday whether there mystic spirits in the mountains or seas, forests & trees, and you may get another yes. There are a lot of lingering traditional beliefs that one could describe as Animism (the belief of spirits residing in inanimate objects), which seem at odds on paper with monotheism, but common in practice. I’m not sure if it’s irony or not, but no-one seems to connect the two as mutually incompatible. I’m just trying to figure this out though, so maybe I’m misreading something. Two examples are Mount Merapi and the South Sea.
Merapi, just 20 miles north of Yogyakarta, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It erupts every 5 years, on average, and is seen both as a source of life and death. Its ash produces some of the most fertile soil in Java (giving life), and hot ash flows + lava occasionally take life away. An 80-year-old man named Maridjan is entrusted by royalty to watch over the volcano's spirits.
According to a 15May CBN news report concerning Merapi’s latest rumblings:
"There is no risk," Maridjan said outside his home just four miles from the crater, which was billowing ash and searing-hot gas clouds Monday. "I am still waiting here." Maridjan, who jokes constantly with visitors and occasionally falls into a trancelike state while looking at the peak, was given the official title of "key holder of Mount Merapi" by the highly respected late king of the nearby court city, Jogjakarta. He leads yearly ceremonies when rice and flowers are thrown into the crater to appease spirits that he and most other nearby villagers believe live over the mountain, which rises from the heart of Indonesia's mystical island of Java. His refusal to budge is angering local authorities in charge of evacuation.
Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid telephoned him last week.
Maridjan and many others living on Merapi's fertile foothills offer a glimpse into Indonesia's deeply mystical and Hindu-Buddhist traditions, which have more recently been overlaid with Islam, the professed faith of the more than 90 percent of the country's 220 million people. Maridjan says there "are many spirits above the mountain, too many to count." Although he is a practicing Muslim, many fellow believers would likely consider some of his beliefs a violation of their strictly monotheistic faith. Visitors to Maridjan's house address him as Mbah, an honorific title meaning grandfather, and speak to him in a high form of the local language reserved for people of status. One police officer sent to persuade him to come down off the mountain says he, too, is an admirer. "He has a special connection to Mount Merapi," said Eko Rudi, as he walked off to perform the midday Islamic prayer. "When I am with him, I feel like a child talking to his father."
Another example is the South Sea.
The sea gives life (water, minerals, fish..) and takes life away when angry (rip tides, storms, tsunamis). Every year tourists are swept out to sea by the currents at Parangtritis beach, 27km south of Yogya. It is said that the handsome men are kept by Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, and the ugly ones are rejected, and wash back to the shore. To this day, locals refuse to wear green to the Parangtritis beach, because that is the queen’s color, and they do not want to anger her.
Fishing around Google, I found the following explanations:
Parangtritis is a historical place closely linked to the mysterious legend of the Queen of the South Sea (Kanjeng Ratu Kidul). The ever youthful and beautiful queen reigns over sea nymphs and spirits. The legend says that Kanjeng Ratu Kidul was married to one of the Mataram Monarchs, Panembahan Senopati, whom she visited and communicated with on certain occasions.
Parangkusumo was used as the meeting place between the kings who reined Mataram Kingdom and Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. Every year, on the 30th day of Rejeb - Javanese calendar based on the rotation of the moon - certain sacred rituals are held. This symbolic ritual involves giving offerings to the Queen of South Sea continuing to the recent inauguration of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, the current Sultan/governor of Yogyakarta. Flowers, food, clothes, and the cutting of Sultan's nail and hair will be thrown in to the water of the South Sea and recognized also as The Indian "Kiwon" night.
Other local beliefs regarding Merapi and the Sea include:
the giant who controls the nearby volcano, Mount Merapi. He is Kiyai Sapujagad, and related to Loro Kidul (another name for Kanjeng Ratu Kidul) through his marriage to Her daughter.
Traditional Javanese beliefs said both Kanjeng Loro Kidul and Her fiery son-in-law Kiyai Sapujagad have protected Yogya, the main city in the region, and the surrounding area for centuries. These two powerful spirits have agreed to protect the royal house of Yogyakarta back in legendary times of the Mataram Dynasty (actually just 16 - 17th Century).
In return for their protection, 10 generations of kings in Yogya, holding the title of sultans, are required to present annual offerings of clothes, tobacco, food and flowers, known as the Labuhan ceremonies, to both the spirits of the Southern Sea and Gunung Merapi.
an agreement with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul, where the Queen would always protect the kings of Mataram and its people from evil deeds in exchange for the spiritual marriage of every king of the Mataram dynasty to Her.
The stories of Panembahan Senopati are filled with tales of mystical power and occult feats - hardly surprising when Java was then under the powerful influence of Tantric Hinduism.
One legend surrounding him has it that Merapi symbolized the male world while the South Sea symbolized the female. Thus Merapi eruptions symbolize sexual intercourse between Panembahan Senopati and his divine spouse Ratu Kidul, which will bring wealth to the people.
How do you argue with that? It worked for the Greeks and Romans for thousands of years! (= Apparently Ratu Kidul is celebrated as far away as Sri Lanka and India as well. I hope King Neptune & Poseidon don’t mind. Maybe their powers only extend through the warm Mediterranean waters.
posted by jonathan adventures at 4:21 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home