VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

People of West Lombok held a ritual night namely “Mandik Pusake “ to celebrate Islamic New Year “1 Muharram“ 1 Suro “. The ritual was held at Gedeng Gerung Perigi Gerung, Lombok Barat, West Nusa Tenggara on 6 August 2022. The ritual Mandik Pusake is the annual ritual which is usually carried out at the first month of Hijriyah calendar. Some owners gather to bathe their heirlooms. According to local public figures , the ritual is to preserve the soul in the context of Islamic religion, namely Silaturahim. Besides, the process of Mandik Pusake is also aimed at approaching friendship and preserving adiluhung.

Other meanings of the ritual are to manifest culture originated by ancestors and stipulate that social-cultural values that still exist in the people’s minds. From the ritual, keris (traditional weapon) from Lombok can be inventoried and easily track the existence in the future. When the ritual is carried out, the used keris is noted one by one, its name and origin.

At the ritual of Mandik Pusake, all the owners of keris across Lombok come to the place chosen to gather and bring their keris. They will wait in turn when one by one the keris is bathed by the selected tribe public figure. The ritual is also accompanied by reciting lontar or paos, namely the written reading on palm leaves inscribed with Sanskrit letters that contain high moral values. In this ritual, the keris is usually bathed in water which has been mixed with seven types of Setaman flowers. There must be at least three types of flowers, namely cempake, sandat and roses.