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On May 1 to 3, 2024, the people of Margoagung village in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, gathered to hold the Merti Desa Mbah Bregas tradition. During his lifetime, Mbah Bregas was known as one of the loyal followers of Sunan Kalijaga, who was tasked with spreading the message of Islam in the West Sleman region, especially Margoagung and its surroundings. He is also known for his strong, authoritative, and simple personality. Besides remembering Mbah Bregas, the tradition, which is held after the main harvest season, is also a form of gratitude for the abundant harvest and a prayer that future harvests will not be disturbed by any conditions.
Merti Desa Mbah Bregas tradition has been going on for generations since the Majapahit Kingdom era from the 12th to 15th century. The tradition also only takes place once a year, specifically Friday Kliwon in May. The Merti Desa Mbah Bregas events include a grand religious lecture, wayang dance, jathilan art performance, holy water collection, grave pilgrimage, grand kenduri (Javanese banquet), cultural carnival, and traditional ceremonial processions. The main event is the village clean-up and cultural carnival. The village cleaning procession was carried out in several places, such as a banyan tree known as Ringin Ngino as Mbah Bregas's place of meditation, Sendang Planangan which Mbah Bregas usually used in the past for daily life, Kramat as the meeting location for Mbah Bregas and Sunan Kalijaga, and Mbah Bregas grave.
The Merti Desa Mbah Bregas tradition begins with giving offerings to the banyan tree, Sendang Planangan, and Kramat, in the form of tumpeng or cone-shaped rice and traditional snacks. Taking the holy water from seven klenting (jugs) at Tirto Saptomulya Sendang Planangan, used to water the banyan tree in the ceremony, symbolizes revitalizing and preserving the surrounding nature and living culture. The ceremony continued with a pilgrimage to the grave of Mbah Bregas. Then it continues with performances of the cokekan, karawitan, and macapatan traditions.
At its peak, a carnival was held with the gunungan or mountain-like food structure, then a procession of ngalap berkah or seeking blessings was held by fighting over the mountains that had been carried and prayed for. The ceremony ended with reciting the Islamic holy book Al-Quran and closed with a night-long shadow puppet performance. The shadow puppet performance symbolizes honor for Sunan Kalijaga, by taking Islamic-based plays such as Jimat Kalimasada, Dewaruci, and Petruk Jadi Ratu.
Published in
Indonesian Wonder
