West Javanese customs that are still preserved
The culture of West Java or the Sundanese tribe is indeed very interesting to look at together. Especially for those of you who live outside of West Java, you will see the special appeal of the customs displayed. Each region basically has a culture that was passed down by previous ancestors.
Many customs have been abandoned, but there are also some that are still preserved today. This culture prevails in the social life of the Sundanese people, ranging from fraternal relationships, weddings, organizing certain events to calls in the family. All customs have a fairly long history so far.
Of the manycustoms owned by West Java, you will be introduced to the 5 cultures that are most often found because they have been preserved until now. From the kinship system to the ceremony of uninsurement or circumcision. You will find its own uniqueness of this culture from West Java.
West-Java Kinship Systeem
The first West Javanese customs we will discuss relate to the kinship system. The kinship system that prevails in the Sundanese tribe is bilateral in nature that is withdrawn on the side of the father and the mother. Like cultures in other regions, the Sundanese also consider the father to be the head of the family.
This kinship system is also not far removed from the role of Islaminfluencing culture in the Sundanese tribe. There is a term called Pancakaki that is used to describe kinship. For those of you Sundanese, you should be familiar with this term because it is often used in everyday life.
In addition to Pancakaki, you also know the terms Sarsilah (Genealogy or Salsilah) and History. These two terms have almost the same meaning, namely descent or Stacking Strains. These three terms are often used when discussing the kinship system used by the Sundanese people.
The people of West Java also have their own calling for their relatives, such as fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers and so on. Indeed, this kind of kinship system is still preserved today. So don’t be surprised if there are still many West Javanese who have this kinship system.
Seren Taun Traditional Ceremony
West Javanese culture that is no less interesting to learn is the Seren Taun Ceremony. This typical West Javanese traditional culture is carried out by transporting rice or as ngangkut pare from the rice fields to the rice barn (leuit), using a special pikulan called rengkong while being accompanied by traditional music wasps.
After that, a meeting called riungan will be held which will be attended by local government officials and traditional elders or community leaders. The agricultural products brought during the Seren Taun ceremony symbolize a request for gratitude to God for the presence of local officials or officials in the West Java area.
This West Javanese custom is a ceremony to convey good news for the abundance of agricultural products or rice harvests and the well-being that the community has achieved over a period of time. Because this traditional ceremony is performed not just once, but for a certain time according to the customs.
One of the characteristics of Seren Taun can be found in the seba process. This procession is carried out by handing over all agricultural products obtained so that they can be enjoyed by officials and community leaders who come to the event. Everyone who comes to the ceremony will feel a sense of happiness together.
Tingkeban Ceremony from West Java
The next West Javanese culture that is interesting to learn is the Tingkeban Ceremony. The ceremony is held for a mother who is pregnant with a 7-month-old child. This Tingkeban ceremony is performed as a form of advocacy for the safety of the mother and fetus in her stomach.
The term Tingkeban has a certain meaning, namely to close, which comes from the main word, Tingkeb. The meaning of this term describes about a mother who is 7 months pregnant and should not mix with the man. In fact, for 40 days after delivery, it is still not allowed.
The purpose of this West Javanese practice is to prevent the mother from working too hard because the uterus becomes larger. As is known, having a husband and wife relationship will leave the mother exhausted and this habit is not good for the health of the baby and also the mother herself.
After the age of 7 months, the mother’s uterus will become heavier until later until delivery. The culture that West Java has aims to keep the health of the mother and fetus in it, so that no bad things happen, so that there are rules that must be done by the mother.
Traditional ceremony of the sea festival
Another West Javanese culture that is still preserved today is the traditional sea festival ceremony. This ceremony was not held anywhere, but in pangandaran ciamis area and Pelabuhan Ratu sukabumi area. If you’re visiting here, don’t miss to see the traditional ceremonies that are held.
This sea festival ceremony is held as a form of gratitude from the community to God for the seafood obtained. That is why the people who participate in this traditional ceremony are generally fishermen who use sea transport when they work to earn a living for their families.
Not only as a thank you, this West Javanese custom also wants to be a plea for safety for fishermen. Although sea conditions are unpredictable, the surrounding fishermen still have to work by sailing the ocean to find as many catches as possible.
For the safety of these fishermen, this traditional ceremony was performed and so that they could bring abundant results. This procession of traditional implementation is very interesting to see and learn. So there is nothing wrong with coming to follow this procession of traditional ceremonies that are still preserved.
Uninsance of Besnijdenis Ceremonie
This West Javanese culture is still performed today, namely the ceremony of sepitan or circumcision. This traditional ceremony is performed with the aim of removing all the dirt that is on the vital signs of the circumcision bride so that it becomes cleaner. You can also find this culture in different regions.
This culture is also related to Islamic religious beliefs where one of the requirements for Muslims is to perform circumcision rituals, both for men and women. This ceremony is performed when the boys are 6 years old and when the girls are babies so as not to be embarrassed later.
This ceremony is usually performed by inviting circumcision parajis, relatives and neighbors of the circumcision bride. So there will be festivities in this traditional ceremony so that the circumcision bride feels happy and is able to relieve pain after her vital signs are cleaned, because sometimes.
There are still many customs from the West Java area that are still preserved today and you will be interested to learn more about them. If you have a family from West Java, you should be familiar with some of the West Javanese customs mentioned above.