VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Sekaten Solo event will be held again in three places, namely South Square, North Square, and Pagelaran for one month from September 16, 2022 to October 16, 2022. The annual event was previously absent for two years to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sekaten Solo is an annual event, which has been regularly held in Solo and Yogyakarta since the 15th century. This event is a tradition carried out to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

In the implementation of Sekaten Solo, a night market is usually held for a whole month. Afterwards, there will be a Grebeg event of Maulud Prophet in the form of a mountain carnival which takes place as the highlight of the event. Not just a celebration, it turns out that Sekaten also has its own history, especially for the spread of Islam in Central Java. This tradition is used by Wali Songo (nine propagators of Islam on Java) to attract people's attention to Islam. Sekaten was believed to be a combination of art and da'wah because through this event, the community was introduced to Islam. At that time, many people liked gamelan traditional instruments. So, this art performance was always held on the day of the Sekaten.

The highlight of the Sekaten ceremony will begin with the Miyos Gongso ritual. Miyos Gongso is a ritual to welcome the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, which is marked by the release of heirloom Gamelan to the Great Mosque. The Gamelan is the sacred one belonging to the palace, namely the Gamelan of Kyai Guntur Madu and Kyai Guntur Sari of Pagongan. This Gamelan is cleaned first before being paraded to the Great Mosque of Solo. As long as the Gamelan is outside and placed in the Great Mosque, it will be played. The highlight of the event is the Grebeg Maulud Ceremony, which is the release of Gunungan or a collection of various types of food arranged like a mountain. The Sekaten ceremony ends with the return of the Sekaten Gamelan.