Indonesia is rich of ethnic groups in which cultures are live and grow for years. One of the cultural festivals in Indonesia is held in Jogjakarta, a province in the Java Island. Jogjakarta itself has so many rituals in which the religions and faith that exist have very strong relation to the ceremony or festival. One of the cultural events or ceremonies is Tunggulwulung Parade.Tunggulwulung Parade is usually held on August or September after the celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day on 17th of August. The parade is held for only one day. The start of the parade takes place at Godean, a city about 15 kilometers to the west of Jogjakarta, and will march for about 10 kilometers to the west and it will end at Minggir village.
The Tunggulwulung Parade is held to celebrate the Independence Day, to express great thanks to the God and to show an ancient javelin called Kiai Tunggul Kebo. The tomb is about 200 or more years old. Some people believe that the javelin has supernatural power or there are spirits live in it.
The Parade is illustrating the Jogjakarta in the past, when the Sultan of Jogjakarta ruled the Mataram kingdom. Every participant of the parade should wear their custom uniform. The amount of participant is usually more than 1000 people. The most participant is representing the Sultan’s soldier and many of them are in fact Sultan’s soldier. Not only are the participants representing Javanese culture and ethnic but also other culture and ethnic such as Dayak (an ethnic in the Borneo/Kalimantan Island), Balinese, etc. The participants are grouped in several categories such as soldier (prajurit), musicians, civilians, other ethnic groups.
The ritual behind the Parade
Before the parade starts, there will be a ritual or a prayer. The ritual is asking for the God to give prosperity, health, good brotherhood among the people and to show gratitude on the grace. To express the gratitude, three buffalos’ head are sacrificed. The head of the buffalos are then will be sunk at Progo River in Minggir village. The other things to be presented as the symbol of gratitude are gunungan (fruits and vegetables arranged like pyramid) and traditional foods. The gunungan and the foods are then given to all visitors and the parade is ended by performing one night shadow puppet (wayang kulit) show at Minggir village.
The parade or carnival is not merely give unique target for the photograph or showing the cultural richness but it also has deeper meaning for the people in communicating with the God.
The event is free and there won’t be ticket to be bought except the cost for the bus. From the city of Jogja we can take a bus that will cost about Rp. 5.000,00 or a taxi that will cost Rp. 50.000,00. If you are able to ride a motorcycle it is better to rent one for only Rp. 50.000 – Rp. 75.000,00 per day.
The visitors may go to Jogjakarta
- From Jakarta by airplane, train or bus.
- From Bali by airplane or bus
The Tunggulwulung Parade is held to celebrate the Independence Day, to express great thanks to the God and to show an ancient javelin called Kiai Tunggul Kebo. The tomb is about 200 or more years old. Some people believe that the javelin has supernatural power or there are spirits live in it.The Parade is illustrating the Jogjakarta in the past, when the Sultan of Jogjakarta ruled the Mataram kingdom. Every participant of the parade should wear their custom uniform. The amount of participant is usually more than 1000 people. The most participant is representing the Sultan’s soldier and many of them are in fact Sultan’s soldier. Not only are the participants representing Javanese culture and ethnic but also other culture and ethnic such as Dayak (an ethnic in the Borneo/Kalimantan Island), Balinese, etc. The participants are grouped in several categories such as soldier (prajurit), musicians, civilians, other ethnic groups.
The ritual behind the Parade
Before the parade starts, there will be a ritual or a prayer. The ritual is asking for the God to give prosperity, health, good brotherhood among the people and to show gratitude on the grace. To express the gratitude, three buffalos’ head are sacrificed. The head of the buffalos are then will be sunk at Progo River in Minggir village. The other things to be presented as the symbol of gratitude are gunungan (fruits and vegetables arranged like pyramid) and traditional foods. The gunungan and the foods are then given to all visitors and the parade is ended by performing one night shadow puppet (wayang kulit) show at Minggir village.
The parade or carnival is not merely give unique target for the photograph or showing the cultural richness but it also has deeper meaning for the people in communicating with the God.
The event is free and there won’t be ticket to be bought except the cost for the bus. From the city of Jogja we can take a bus that will cost about Rp. 5.000,00 or a taxi that will cost Rp. 50.000,00. If you are able to ride a motorcycle it is better to rent one for only Rp. 50.000 – Rp. 75.000,00 per day.
The visitors may go to Jogjakarta
- From Jakarta by airplane, train or bus.
- From Bali by airplane or bus
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