from my land where I stand to the global wold

It was almost 15 years ago when I was a child to see Jathilan performance at my kampoong. It was almost 15 years so, that Jathilan still pretty similar, a simple music instrument from piece of gamelan which are Kempol, Bonang and Gendang. This instrument and dance seem to be quite old traditional dancer as older as the Javanese culture it self.  Running through a struggle circumstances of  many epoch alteration from the past until this modern era. Kempol is part of Gamelan instument from Javanese made of metal brass or iron shape as cupola and hit by hammer made of wood. Beside, ‘Bonang’ is another part of Gamelan almost similar with ‘Kempol’ but more 2 times bigger. So the two of them will hit simultaneously as the rhythm of the Jatilan dancer who will follow the tempo. ‘Pong..pong…pong…pong…pong…dil…pong..’ Then with the sudden,  smashing of the ‘kendang’ sorounding all the environment  with the beat sound likely tribal ceremonial scene. The dancer of the ...

(17 Desember 2009) For the Javanese people, Suro is very special day. Suro is a new day for the Javanese calendar system according to the lunar system and Moslem Calendar System. As usual to celebrate the New Year day, there many unique ceremonial held. Mostly Javanese people will do ‘Tirakat’ an all along night staid awake without sleep. Of course, there many activity to fill this ‘Tirakat’ time, from performing ‘puppet show’, praying ‘sholawat’, visit a sacred place, etc. There is also common tradition for Javanese people to cleaning up their traditional weapon, horse, special pet (usually bird), and any other special thinks. This tradition called Djamasan, used sacred water with a packet of flowers and mystique oil. Instead of the tradition, recently for many Javanese people doing Djamasan is just a common life style. Even, there still remain the motif of doing this ceremonial to obtain symbolic meanings as cleaning up both physically and spiritually to prepare for this new y...

Every morning there were in my family have our own tradition: "tea time". Since early morning, mom as a wife and mothers of four children had been busy in the kitchen ; cooking a big kettle of water, washing glasses, plates and all of dirty kitchen set After the water in that big kettle boiled, She prepared a pot, a classic pot. This classic pot was heritage from my grandparent. A classic pot from clay almost accompanying for about two generation at least and there inside of the clea tea pot were residu of many years tea and never cleaned deeply except with water. So, It kind of our secret taste of tea time that pouring in that old clea tea pot would be so tasty. Then, my mother as similar did with my grandmother at the past, put tea to that old tea pot, filled it with hot water, prepared some glasses (the big one was for my father and another glass for rest of us). There a tea time for everybody before I went to school and my father went to works and doing all of the acti...

Yes, now already rainy season, here in Jogjakarta, my hometown also. Almost everyday above us a dark sky with cloud. Sometimes rain came so havely and full of Thunder, but mostly rain come like cat and dog.  I almost feels so strange of the smelt of land after the rain. Every place almost similar the smelt of evaporate land after the rain. During the rain sometimes I feel so free. Why free? because almost nothing we can do when there out there a rain falls so heavily. I like wathing what running out there while the rain is coming. People outhere that still in bravely run thorought the rain and the question "why they still running out there? Rain is coming, for another people is it a gift, but for another is nothing rather than weather.