"Begalan" Tradition to Request Protection
Every society believes in salvation, not only in the afterlife but also in everyday life. Salvation can be obtained through faithfulness in maintaining traditions, such as those developed by the people of Banyumas, Central Java.
A traditional set of cooking equipment was carried by a man dressed in black. He was accompanied by two old men carrying large machetes made of wood. They danced in the front row to accompany a bride and groom sitting on a horse-drawn carriage to the wedding venue.
The Banyumas traditional procession is called begalan (robbery), a ritual held to ask for salvation for the bride and groom.
Arriving in front of the groom\'s house, the group was intercepted by a man who also dressed in black while carrying a piece of wood. The man asked the group\'s intent and purpose because he was in charge of maintaining security in the area. Then a man carrying a big cleaver also explained his arrival to accompany the bridal group.
In the dialogue recited with a typical Banyumas accent, the man expressed the meaning of all the kitchen utensils carried by the bridal group. "This symbolizes that a married couple must share the responsibility of family life together. The joy and sorrow in the family life should be shared together," said Sisworo, 44, who acted as the
“robber” in the begalan performance held by the Begalan Tratam CS Art Group on Sunday (1/7/2018).
In the wedding ceremony held for the couple of Nurmaya Siwi and M. Hasby Sadam Al-Kindi, the son of Titut Edi Purwanto who was also a begal performer in the Cowong Sewu Banyumas Group, in Pangebat Village, Karanglewas, Banyumas, Central Java.
The cooking equipment, which was carried out, among others included ian, ilir, cething or wakul, , centong, irus, siwur or gayung, and tampah (they are all cooking equipment made from bamboo).
Ian is a rectangular woven bamboo and is used to hold rice that has just been cooked. Ilir is a fan, made of woven bamboo, is used to cool the rice . "In the life of a family, husband and wife must be able to be like ilir, which is to cool each other," Sisworo said.
Ask for protection
After the dialogue was over, they prayed for protection and salvation from the Almighty God. They then danced. As a symbol of dispelling negative things, a jar of clay containing yellow rice was broken. The bride and groom were then invited to enter the yard and head to the wedding room.
Begalan comes from the word begal (Javanese) which means robber. Begalan means robbery or robbing someone else\'s goods openly, in contrast to stealing that is done secretly. "Metaphorically, the art of begalan is intended to drive away evil spirits or sawan so that the bride is not disturbed by negative things," said Sisworo who performs the ritual at least twice a month at Rp 700,000 per performance.
Kukusan is a traditional steamer used to cook rice, symbolizes the maturation of married persons. Cething is a rice basket symbolizes the place and environment of a husband and a wife living together always has the rules of life that need to be obeyed. Centong, a tool for taking rice, is a symbol of justice.
Irus, a tool for stirring and tasting cuisine, symbolizes a warning that a husband and wife do not be tempted by others or to "taste" others. Likewise, siwur or a tool for taking water symbolizes loyalty. Siwur can also be interpreted as an abbreviation of original love or the love should be taken care carefully.
As for tampah, a round bamboo woven commonly used to clean rice from its skin and other dirt. In the context of begalan, it symbolizes that a couple can sort and choose good things and avoid bad things [Suwito, NS, Islam Dalam Tradisi Begalan (Islam in Begalan Tradition), STAIN Purwokerto, Press, 2008].
There are a number of versions regarding the origins of the begalan performance. Suwito NS in his book Islam Dalam Tradisi Begalan ( Islam in Begalan Tradition) wrote, the first version of begalan came from the era of Adipati (Duke) Wirasaba who married his youngest daughter named Dewi Sukesi with the son of the Duke of Banyumas named Pangeran (Prince) Tirtokencono.
Like the Javanese tradition, a week later, Adipati Banyumas brought her son from Wirasaba to Banyumas. The event was called ngunduh mantu or welcoming the daughter in law. On the way to Banyumas, the bridal group was confronted by robbers, but later defeated.
The second version came from the story of Kiai Kasan Ngali from Waren village in the east of Banyumas who had a beautiful daughter and was proposed by Ahmad Maemun, the son of Kiai Abdul Manap from Mersi village. Ahmad Maemun had been married twice, but all died.
To apply for salvation in a third marriage, a begal ritual performance was held. The carriers of the goods brought by Kiai Abdul Manap for the Kiai Kasan Ngali family were “robbed” on the way.
Dispose of negative energy
The Banyumas artist, Yusmanto, said the existence of the begalan ritual is interpreted as a rite to get rid of bajang sawan, sebel puyeng, or negative energy that exists in both brides and at the same time giving advices to the bride to be a good husband and wife. "This exists in the subconscious of the Banyumas community," he said.
Until now, according to Yusmanto, the begalan performance is still alive among the Banyumas community, because the residents still need it despite some changes or adjustments such as the shortened time duration from about an hour to 15 minutes.
"If the Banyumas people no longer need begalan, this ritual will automatically disappear. In fact, the Banyumas community still needs and considers it important. As the times change, the ritual is made to be more entertaining. That is a consequence. We cannot deny such changes," he said.
The head of Banyumas regency\'s Office of Youth, Sports, Culture and Tourism, Deskart Djatmiko ,said as part of the programs to preserve the begalan tradition, the ritual was included as reading material in the Javanese language subject in elementary schools in Banyumas. The
begalan tradition can also be used as an interesting cultural attraction to lure visitors to Banyumas.
"This is a part of our cultural attractions. Especially in the future. It can be used as cultural attraction for tourists. So, it is not only uri-uri (preserved or maintained), but can also be a source of life," said Deskart.