Djamasan of Onthel Bike

(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 year day.

An old tradition also for some common people near Kraton Jogjakarta one of and old Javanese palace remains is ‘Laku bisu’. Laku bisu is circling with speechless mouth outside the Jogjakarta fortress palace for 7 times. Even this can be related to the acculturation of moslem ‘tawaf’ pray (circling 7 times for Ka’bah building), yet it be common Suro activity for native.

Since November 2007, there has been old vintage club community called Podjok in Yogyakarta doing many of unique activity. There is common acknowledgment for this community as and community vision to converse Javanese culture and identity. Then, there are mostly of this community activity always respond or relate to the Javanese agenda. Notably for this Suro agenda, Podjok respond this sacred day to doing Djamasan seremonial, too. But, uniquely, they didn’t clean up for keris ‘for special Javanese traditional weapons’ but they clean up, of course, their old bike collection. This old bike collection popularly called ‘Onthel’ bike.

The ceremony for Old Bike Djamasan started nearly at middle of the night. They gather together at north alun-alun in front of Jogjakarta Palace. They use special custom, mostly a set of Surjan a for a male and a set of Kemben female, a Javanese common people traditional cloth. Some man also used much simple cloth, just an black long pants and batiks headbands. Then, the group began to walking while handling their own each onthel bike beside. The group lead by 2 female bringing lantern started to walked quietly, speechless, making for about hundred meters long queue. They walk circling 7 times thorough the fortress of Jogjakarta palace square from the north to the south and from the east to the west.

The queue will end at north alun-alun, then prepare for Djamasan ceremonial. They put their bike stand in front of the palace in line, put the sacred waters, mystique oil, a set of setaman flower (setaman flower is set of rose, jasmine and any other flower), and set of Djamasan djamasan tools. Then one of the oldest man went out to the front, leading a such common prayer. There were incense with very mystique smelt already burn and fulfill surround the air and atmosphere. Yet, the leader of the group named Towil walked to front of the audience bringing a rolled paper. Then he open this rolled paper, reading a text, now knowing as poetry. There were at the corner two girl, again, bringing the a bucket of flower and water at the pot. Just a moment after poetry already spoken, the two girls begun to pour the water and flower to the line stand of the bikes. Last, the leader begun to taking a short speech about the group wishes for the better life and fortune for the next year.

According for some of the Moslem perception, this Djamasan ceremonial to be deviation for moslem faith. Because likely this ceremonial seem adore such for a bike. Even the bike is so special because of this old and unique. But, the groups already answer for this doubt. The reason of their old Bike Djamasan are purely for converse Javanese culture and identity in some ‘creative’ way. Taking ‘creative’ way is strategically to avoid the words ‘modern’ or ‘life style’ term. They also explain about symbolic action, an old bike Djamasan means to criticize our people about how they don’t pay attention for their bike as a their daily transportation. They also want to criticize about how the bike recently no longer become main transportation in contrary to fight against pollution, global warming, oil crisis and environmental degradation. There also want to said and old bike called onthel have many historical value, meaningful to study about how at the past this bike become so famous, familiarly as main transportation, a part of human life and life style. Well, sound there are a big mission of this statement, but for my it really unique performance. Salute.

(Alex Candra W)

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