Larung Sesaji Traditional Ceremony

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Larung Sesaji Ceremony

Larung Sesaji Ceremony is held every 1 Suro (the Javanese calendar) in the South Sea, Tambakrejo beach, Wonotirto district. Larung Sesaji Ceremony is done to express the grateful feeling and also to pray to God who has given the sailors a lot of sea products and also safety.

This ceremony has followed by almost all of society around the beach. They rice cone and throw away on the south sea. That food is the symbol of the grateful expression of the favors that they have gotten from the only one of God.

More info visit: www.blitar.eastjava.com

Ponorogo Cultural Site

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Ponorogo Cultural Site

Ponorogo is famous as The City Of Reog, one of Indonesian Traditional art culture which is the mixture of art, traditional dance and kind of mystical art culture. Ponorogo today is become one of East Java Cultural tourism Icon. By the date of 1st Muharam of Suro, the city held an annual ceremony called Grebeg Ponorogo Suro, which is also the day of Ponorogo's anniversary.

Among the tradition and ceremony from Ponorogo cultural site, they usually have their own characteristic to be shown at their performance, like the uniform, the dancer, and the property. This Mask is one of the property which is always take to any performances and being used by the dancers to complete the whole dance.

More info visit: www.ponorogo.eastjava.com

The Traditional Ledug Suro Ceremony

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Ledug Suro


So many ways are being used by the local government to celebrate the new year of Hijriah. At Jogjakarta there is Sekaten, at Solo (Mid Java) there is Grebeg Syuro because it coincidently come with the change of Java’s year which starting from Suro. Any other places like Sukabumi (West Java) is also celebrate this Islamic new year by doing Larung. Different with other places, in Magetan East Java, in order to attract the visitors to come, they make “Ledhug”. Lesung Suro and Bedug Muharam (Ledhug) is drum on continually and it is been combined by the sound of gong and many more instruments then make a uniqueness traditional music.

Before the process of Ledhug is begin, there is a “Prosesi Andum Berkah Bolu Rahayu”, which is the most attractive one. Thousand of societies are gathering in front of town square, struggling to take the Bolu or the bread. Before it goes on procession to go to town square, the bread is on ritual offering, because it believe that it has grace for those who eat it. Moreover, there is Jarak lawu traditional dancing which brought by the elementary students and also Magetan traditional transportation called Delman is being ride in the middle of the crowd. When the sound of Gamelan, traditional music, is presented, the Major of Magetan and other local government is taking the Bolu and welcome flower by Dyah-Bagus magetan (it is like Miss Magetan). The Bolu bread is been modified as a mortar (Lesung), Bedhug and Gong then it is spread out to the people.

Lesung suro is having purpose to celebrate the year of Saka, which starting on 1st Suro. As mention, Lesung or Mortar is a tool for pounding the rise and the object to communicate with the ancestors. Bedhug Muharram is having purpose to celebrate the new year of Hijriyah, which starting on 1st Muharram. Anyway, Bedhug for Moslem is a media for calling the people to pray to God, and Gong is Magetan industrial product, that already becomes an Exported product. Judang is a traditional equipment to carry the ‘Uborampe’from Magetan society, which want to celebrate the marriage. The main purpose for those celebration is about to dig, to cultivate and to promote magetan traditional and industrial field, in order to develop Magetan as a Tourism Object and Tourism Destination Object.

More info visit: <a href="http://www.magetan.eastjava.com">www.magetan.eastjava.com</a>

Madura Annual's Ceremony : Bull Race

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The Background Of Bull Racing

Bullrace is one of Madura's culture, which become the special characteristis of Madura Island. The beginning of the bullrace originated from the fact that Madura is not so fertile that is not good for agriculture, instead the Madurese cath fish and breed cows and bulls which are also used for farming especially to plough the fields where paddies or second crop plants are grown.

A man named Syeh Ahmad Baidawi who firstly introduced the weay of working the soil with using bamboo sled pulled by two bulls known as " Nanggala or Salaga ". He was actually a proselytizer who came to Madura to spread up Islam but also taught Madurese the way of ploughing the fields. From this new knowledge that he had taught, he got tittle as "Pangeran Katandur" (Prince of Planter).

The early purpose of bull race event is to get strong bulls for ploughing. The Madurese take care of the bulls and compete them in ploughing their fields as soon as possible. In this way the idea of competing come into existence and then developed into organized sport called "BULL RACE". The bull race soon becomes annually activities carried of every year especially when harvest on the fields has finished.

The Condition Of Bulls To Race
The condition of the bulls which are allowed to compete should have some requirements such as :

* The bulls are of Madurese stock and color or original of Madurese
* They have to be healthy and strong
* Their teeth should have fallen out

The Technique of The Bullrace
The race is conducted in a series of elimination heats between winners and loosers of proceeding heats. It completely has four phases that consist of:

* The first phase in which all the bulls compete in two pairs to set apart the winners from the loosers (both the winners and the loosers still have a chance to compete again):
* The second phase or the pre selection heat the winners compete against the winners and the loosers compete against the loosers to decide the winners of the winners and the winners of the loosers (in this phase both the loosers do not allowed to compete again)
* The third phase or the semi final is to determine three pairs winners of the winners and three pairs winners of the loosers ;
* The fourth phase is the final will decide the first, second and third champions of the winners and of the loosers

How To Take Care Race Bulls
It is a pride for Madurese to have a race bull. Therefore the bull owners will be very much happy and proud if their bulls win in the bullrace championship.

To take care race bulls need much money for the bull owners have to prepare a variety of fodder, especially when they have been the champion. Leave of corn, bean and soybean trees and good grass are the special fodder for the race bulls. Besides that, the mixer of traditional spices like crushe ginger, peper, chili, honey, beer and tens even hundreds of eggs believed to warm and strengthen the bulls. The mixture is later forced into the mouth of the bulls with using a bamboo lath.

To make the bulls strong and health the bull owners sometimes also massage them by treading their backs, train every weekly and at times lulled to sleep especially when the racing day is approaching.

* The Use of Magic Power
Three or four days before the racing day come, bull owners and their families crowd the surrounding of the racing track looking for good parking for the bulls, as on this particulary day black magic is common use among the bull owners. In this case, the one tries to over power bulls from the other. Fashing for the bull owners is also prepared as such is believed to give them the inner power and strength to defeat the black magic of others.

When The Bullrace Held
Bullrace competition is always held in September, October and November every year, but one can also see bullrace when he needs if he serve first to the Tourism and Cultural Service, Husbandry Service or Paguyupan Kerapan Sapi (Group of Bull owners).

More info visit: www.madura.eastjava.com

Grebek Suro Ponorogo

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Is the biggest culture event in Ponorogo regency that held on a certain occasion of welcomed Islam New Year or Saka New Year that often known as one suro date (one of Javanese month). This agenda entered East Java tourism calendar (Calendar of event). Grebeg Suro is the ritual culture incident and became the party site of Ponorogo people. Usually it begun a week before 1 Suro.
It is the series of Grebeg Suro agenda is Reog National festival, various good activity sorts the race and the exhibition and ended with Larungan agenda in Ngebel lake. The parade of the elephant statue that consist of the musical procession and the elephant statues. Those statues have received by human kind and climbed onto by two children. This art is has influenced by Islam culture.

More info visit:
<ahref="http://www.ponorogo.eastjava.com">www.ponorogo.eastjava.com</a>