Even 5minutes before our appointment hour, I still couldn’t ensure myself whether I’m going. Last time I went to Sekaten was like 5 years ago! Damn, I didn’t really enjoy our local festival because, well, personal. Sekaten is identic with its play land, its cheap goodies, foods, traditional toys, cotton candy, and the most important one imo is the exhibition in the center, usually educational. About personal obstacle is that.... I never have guts to have fun.
These playing arena are just extreme. They’ll throw you so
fast and high, with of course, a very low safety system. So I ain’t got no guts
to try’em. Well I tried one, once and no more lol *trauma* but for you who like
such challenge, go ahead and give a try!
Let’s just describe this Sekaten generally. Sekaten comes
from the Arab word with Javanese -pronounced “Syahadatain” which in English is
known as Shahada. And Sekaten was held first time by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana I,
who was a muslim king, to spread Islam teaching to his people and to get more
of his people to follow him to be muslim. The basic spreading of
Islam in Java especially in Yogyakarta was mostly by using some traditional
entertainments such Wayang show (Javanese traditional pupet show), by music
(Gamelan), and also by this, Sekaten. As a muslim Kingdom, the king used
Islamic calendar (lunar calendar) as its Javanese calendar. The celebration of
Sekaten nowadays lasts for a month until Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday based on
Islamic calendar. So you might find the first day of Sekaten this year is
different with last year, if you see it based on normal calendar (Anno Domini).
But the date will always be the same if you see by lunar calendar.
The final celebration day would be a Grebeg Muludan Sekaten
or people usually call it Grebeg Sekaten. What is it? Well personally I couldn’t
describe the detail since I never feel it myself. Overall, Grebeg Sekaten is
when The Palace provides foods of people such rice, sticky rice, fruits,
vegetables, etc then arrange them to be a mountain-like. And then The Palace delivers
this Gunungan (mountain-like foodies) outside in Alun-Alun Keraton so that the
people could grab it. Many people who believe in myth also believe that the
foods on Gunungan is very sacred and very powerful to bring them luck. So there’ll
always be thousand people in crowd try to reach Gunungan every year. And...
that crowd is basicly the main reason I never involve myself with that celebration.
Okay. For me, Sekaten is more like a month-full night-celebration
in Alun-Alun Utara Keraton Yogyakarta that has so much entertainment for all
people since it’s so affordable. Each playing spot only cost around IDR 8000-15000.
But again, i an’t got no guts to play, so I just walked around and watching
enjoying people who are enjoying the ride on the playing spot.
What's on the fair?
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| My friends |
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