Yogyakarta - The traditional ceremony bearing the full name 'Grebeg Besar Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat', which is held during the Moslem holiday of Idul Adha (1430 Hijriah this year), Saturday, attracted a number of foreign tourists in Yogyakarta.
They enthusiastically followed the whole traditional procession, and once in a while captured it in photos or videos. The procession was also spectated by the people of Yogyakarta and its surroundings despite the heat of the day.
The Grebeg Besar ceremony is a procession of four gunungan (heaps of offerings, 'gunungan' comes from the root meaning of mountain or heap), each called lanang (which represents the male), wadon (female), gepak, and pawuhan. All four are brought out from the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace then paraded through Siti Hinggil, Pagelaran, the North Town square (alun-alun) and finally to the Kauman Great Mosque, Yogyakarta.
Gunungan is made from food-stuffs, such as vegetables, nets, chilis, eggs, sweet potato, and other things made of sticky rice and made into the likeness of a mountain, to symbolize prosperity and fertility for the Mataram palace territories. The gunungan parade, led by a Manggoloyudho (war admiral) G.B.P.H. Yudhaningrat, was saluted with rifles shots by the palace guards when it exited the palace and proceeded through the North Alun-alun.
The gunungan procession was accompanied by nine royal guards, among which were Wirobrojo, Ketanggung, Bugis, Daeng, Patangpuluh, and Nyutro. They wore uniforms of various colors and wielded spears, keris (the Javanese curved dagger), and old-fashioned rifles.
Next the gunungan was brought to the Kauman Great Mosque, Yogyakarta, to be blessed by the palace clerics. Then the peak of the event was when the gunungan was given to the gathering people, who waited patiently since morning at the mosque's courtyard, so that they could rush to grab any piece of the gunungans.
The people who got pieces of the gunungans believe that every piece brings the blessing of the King of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono, and that it would bless their lives.
The Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace throughout a year holds three kinds of traditional grebeg events, which are the Grebeg Syawal during Idul Fitri; Grebeg Besar during Idul Adha; and Grebeg Maulud during the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
The chairman of the Widya Budaya foundation of Yogyakarta, Widi Utamingsih, said that the Grebeg events by the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace are cultural heritages that attract locals and foreigners. The traditional event should be presented as an interesting tourism package that also preserves this culture as one of the lifestyle of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace.
This cultural spectacle is a potential attraction for national and international tourists. Especially since the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace is part of the golden triangle ot tourism around West Java and Yogyakarta for foreign tourists. (acandra/C17-09)
Source: http://english.kompas.com
They enthusiastically followed the whole traditional procession, and once in a while captured it in photos or videos. The procession was also spectated by the people of Yogyakarta and its surroundings despite the heat of the day.
The Grebeg Besar ceremony is a procession of four gunungan (heaps of offerings, 'gunungan' comes from the root meaning of mountain or heap), each called lanang (which represents the male), wadon (female), gepak, and pawuhan. All four are brought out from the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace then paraded through Siti Hinggil, Pagelaran, the North Town square (alun-alun) and finally to the Kauman Great Mosque, Yogyakarta.
Gunungan is made from food-stuffs, such as vegetables, nets, chilis, eggs, sweet potato, and other things made of sticky rice and made into the likeness of a mountain, to symbolize prosperity and fertility for the Mataram palace territories. The gunungan parade, led by a Manggoloyudho (war admiral) G.B.P.H. Yudhaningrat, was saluted with rifles shots by the palace guards when it exited the palace and proceeded through the North Alun-alun.
The gunungan procession was accompanied by nine royal guards, among which were Wirobrojo, Ketanggung, Bugis, Daeng, Patangpuluh, and Nyutro. They wore uniforms of various colors and wielded spears, keris (the Javanese curved dagger), and old-fashioned rifles.
Next the gunungan was brought to the Kauman Great Mosque, Yogyakarta, to be blessed by the palace clerics. Then the peak of the event was when the gunungan was given to the gathering people, who waited patiently since morning at the mosque's courtyard, so that they could rush to grab any piece of the gunungans.
The people who got pieces of the gunungans believe that every piece brings the blessing of the King of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono, and that it would bless their lives.
The Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace throughout a year holds three kinds of traditional grebeg events, which are the Grebeg Syawal during Idul Fitri; Grebeg Besar during Idul Adha; and Grebeg Maulud during the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
The chairman of the Widya Budaya foundation of Yogyakarta, Widi Utamingsih, said that the Grebeg events by the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace are cultural heritages that attract locals and foreigners. The traditional event should be presented as an interesting tourism package that also preserves this culture as one of the lifestyle of the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace.
This cultural spectacle is a potential attraction for national and international tourists. Especially since the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace is part of the golden triangle ot tourism around West Java and Yogyakarta for foreign tourists. (acandra/C17-09)
Source: http://english.kompas.com