Labuhan Ceremony, Yogyakarta
Posted on July 17th, 2008 in festival and special event labuhan ceremony, labuhan ceremony yogyakarta, yogyakarta
Visiting Yogyakarta won’t be complete without enjoying this important ceremony. Held yearly in April to celebrate the birth of Sri Sultan Hamenkubuwono as well as to secure the welfare of the Sultan and hence the people of Yogyakarta.
The word Labuh means to throw something into a river or sea. As such offerings from the Sultan include food, hair and nail clippings and so on are thrown into the South Sea at Parangkusumo Beach in honour of Kanjeng Ratu Kidul (Goddess of the South Sea).
Similar ceremonies are held atop Mt. Merapi and Mt. Lawu in Central Java. Start times for the festivities will be announced in the local papers.
Labuhan Ceremony among the other festivals is a very important festival. These events are celebrated at Kraton and other places like Mt.Merapi, Mt. Lawu.
The Labuhan Ceremony is held on the 30th of Javanese month. The offering is very important ritual and the offering is made to Kangjeng Ratu Kidul is considered to be a very important Goddess in the Yogyakarta myths and legends.
It is believed that she had promised to guard the Senopati and the Mataram Kingdom in their troubled times. Thus the bond got strengthened between the two Sultans simply because of this ritual.
The ceremony involves the following rituals:
- 2 cloths as lower garments are offered.
- 1 Green breast cloth in Gadung design.
- 1 breast cloth with motif bangun Tulak.
- 1 cup of perfume
- 1 packet of incense.
- Many other such interesting offerings are also made to the Goddess.
The ceremony along with the offerings also sees some special mantras being pronounced. The atmosphere is very mystical and somber.
The ceremony sees many people flocking here to witness the rituals being performed and the ceremony is considered to be very traditional. The people wait for the ceremony to begin in the morning.
In the evening there is a preparation followed by a prayer and around 4 o clock in the morning. The offerings are an important part of the event and the offerings seem to resemble the offerings made in the South Sea. The Labuhan Ceremony is thus a very important festival.
Make sure you don’t miss the Labuhan ceremony during your trip to Yogyakarta. Welcome to Yogyakarta.
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