The word Javanese caught my eyes right away when I read an online report about Mount Merapi
MountMerapi , literally Fire Mountain October 25, 2010, roaring for more than 20 days. This most active stratovolcano on the planet is located between Central Java and Yogyakarta of Indonesia, well-known for its stunning mountain landscape and rich legendary Javanese culture. Unfortunately the mountain’s beauty is now ruined by this furious volcanic explosion, creating hundreds of volcanic avalanches and earthquakes that destroyed many nearby villages and killed more than 300 people.
Merapi, a particular place for the ancient Javanese spirits, holds significant cosmological symbolism for theCentral Java and Yogyakarta people. It is believed that the mountain is created as a sacred north-south axis running north to south from Merapi’s crater, through the Yogyakarta Palace Parangkusumo Beach Indian Ocean . It connects "Mbah Petruk", the leader of the Javanese kingdom, and "Nyi Roro Kidul", the queen of the Southern Ocean, to uphold the Javanese spiritual life.
On the first day of each Javanese New Year, villagers gather together for a special ritual for sending prayers to the spirits of their ancestors who they believe stay with them all the time on the slopes of the mountain. The villagers also have routine offerings toMount Merapi
During the recent volcanic eruptions, Mbah Marijan, the latest gate guard, insisted to stay in his house that was only 5 km away from the peak of the mountain and carried his duty until he vanished with burning hot lava. Mbah scarified his life to placate the ancient Javanese spirits and completely fulfilled his responsibilities as the guardian of the mountain.
Javanese people believe that the recent Merapi eruption was not because it was angry at the people. It was just a cleansing ceremony that had to be done every so often. The villagers had not stopped their belief and respect with Merapi and they have kept their life going as they had before.
Javanese spirits are marked with the belief for the elder, the belief for the sacred people, the belief for superstition, and the belief for what modern people haved considered as illogical or ridiculous. The way Javanese people in facing with the disaster had sent us a strong message to rethink profoundly the calm and respectful attitude we need in experiencing tremendous losses from a natural disaster.
Mount
Merapi, a particular place for the ancient Javanese spirits, holds significant cosmological symbolism for the
On the first day of each Javanese New Year, villagers gather together for a special ritual for sending prayers to the spirits of their ancestors who they believe stay with them all the time on the slopes of the mountain. The villagers also have routine offerings to
During the recent volcanic eruptions, Mbah Marijan, the latest gate guard, insisted to stay in his house that was only 5 km away from the peak of the mountain and carried his duty until he vanished with burning hot lava. Mbah scarified his life to placate the ancient Javanese spirits and completely fulfilled his responsibilities as the guardian of the mountain.
Javanese people believe that the recent Merapi eruption was not because it was angry at the people. It was just a cleansing ceremony that had to be done every so often. The villagers had not stopped their belief and respect with Merapi and they have kept their life going as they had before.
Javanese spirits are marked with the belief for the elder, the belief for the sacred people, the belief for superstition, and the belief for what modern people haved considered as illogical or ridiculous. The way Javanese people in facing with the disaster had sent us a strong message to rethink profoundly the calm and respectful attitude we need in experiencing tremendous losses from a natural disaster.
No comments:
Post a Comment