Javanese culture

Javanese culture(Javanese:ꦏꦧꦸꦢꦪꦤ꧀ꦗꦮ,romanized:Kabudayan Jawa) is the culture of theJavanese people.
Javanese culture is centered in the provinces ofCentral Java,YogyakartaandEast JavainIndonesia. Due to various migrations, it can also be found in other parts of the world, such asSuriname(where 15% of the population are of Javanese descent), the broader Indonesian archipelago region,Cape Malay,Malaysia,Singapore,Netherlandsand other countries. The migrants bring with them various aspects of Javanese cultures such asGamelanmusic, traditional dancesand art ofWayang kulitshadow play.
The migration of Javanese people westward has created the Javanese culture in a small part of the northern coast that is distinct from theSundanese culturein the majority of West Java and Banten. Being the largest ethnic group, the Javanese culture and people influence Indonesian politics and culture, a process sometimes described asJavanisation.
Javanese literaturetradition is among the earliest and the oldest surviving literature traditions in Indonesia. The translations of Hindu epicRamayanaandMahabharataintoold Javaneselanguage took place during the era ofMataram KingdomandKediri kingdomaround 9th to 11th century. TheSmaradhanais also composed during Kediri kingdom, and it became the prelude of laterPanji cyclesthat spread as far as Siam and Cambodia. Other literary works includeKen ArokandKen Dedes, based uponPararaton, the story of the orphan who usurped his king, and married the queen of the ancient Javanese kingdom.
During the reign ofMajapahitseveral notable works was produced.NagarakretagamadescribesMajapahitduring its height.Tantu Pagelaranexplained the mythical origin of the island and its volcanic nature.Kakawin Sutasoma, written by Mpu Tantular during the reign of theMajapahit. It is the source of themottoofIndonesia,Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which is usually translated asUnity in Diversity, although literally it means '(Although) in pieces, yet One'. The kakawin teaches religious tolerance, specifically between theHinduandBuddhistreligions.
Other works includesBabad Tanah Jawiis a literature which relates to the spread of Islam in Java andBabad Dipanagarawhich tells the story ofPrince Diponegoro.
Historically, Javanese follow a syncretic form of Hinduism, Buddhism andKebatinan. The Majapahit empire religious tolerance in their society can be summed asBhinnêka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa('They are indeed different, but they are of the same kind, as there is no duality in Truth').
Starting from the 15th century, Islam and Christianity came to Java and slowly spread. Due to internal and external conflicts, Majapahit collapsed in the 16th century. Islam spread quickly under the new Islamic monarchs. While the spread of Christianity was supervised by colonial powers.
All the new religions were not taken literally but instead interpreted by the Javanese according to the Javanese traditional values, creating a new set of religious beliefs unique to local culture.
Islam first came in contact with Java during Majapahit periods, when they traded or made tributary relations with various states like Perlak andSamudra Pasaiin modern-dayAceh.Sufismplayed a major role in affecting the Islamic understanding of Javanese in the fourteenth century and affected the local understanding of afterlifeand spirits, such asjinn,demonsandghosts.
The introduction of Islam to the island by the new Muslim monarchs was not always peaceful however, Javanese nobles and peasants who rejected the new rulers were either conquered or fled to neighboringBaliwhere they contributed heavily to theBalinese Hindureligion and culture. Some Hindus who remained in Java retreated themself to more remote area such as Tenger near the Mount Bromo to avoid proselytization. During the Islamization of Java,Sunan Kalijagawas one of theWalisangawhich was active in promoting a more moderate form of Islam in Java, he was later appointed as advisor in the newMataram Sultanate.Most Javanese follow theShafi‘itetradition ofSunnism(97%).
A minority of Javanese also followChristianityof the branchProtestantismandCatholicism(2,5%), which are rather concentrated inCentral JavaparticularlySemarang,Surakarta,Salatiga, andMagelang, also inYogyakartafor Catholicism.
Another minority areHindusandBuddhists, they are mostly found inEast Java(also some in parts ofCentral JavaandYogyakarta). The JavaneseTengger tribeis still practicing Javanese-Hindu until today.There are also many new recent converts ofJavanesetoHinduismandBuddhism.
Kebatinanare principles embodying a search for the inner self but at the core is the concept of the peace of mind, connection with the universe, and with an Almighty God. AlthoughKebatinanis not strictly a religious affiliation, it addresses ethical and spiritual values as inspired by Javanese tradition. It is not a religion in usual sense of the word, likeIslam,Judaism, orChristianity. There are no scriptures such as theBibleor theQur'an, nor are there prophets. During the Soeharto era, this minority is acknowledged and protected aspenganut kepercayaan.
Many traditional Javanese customs or festivals such as meditation,slametan,naloni mitoni,patangpuluhdinanan,nyatusandnyewuhave their roots in theKebatinanbelief. Javanese of other beliefs modify them accordingly, incorporating Muslims, Christian or Hindu prayers instead. Details of the ceremonies differ from one community to the other.
Grebeg Mauludis a traditional ceremony held by the royal court of Keraton Surakarta and Jogjakarta, to commemorate the birth of Islam's holy messenger, Muhammad. This ceremony was first held during the reign of the Demak Dynasty dating back to the 15th century. The ceremony starts with prayers in the grand mosques, a parade and a carnival of the people.
There are several variations of Javanese wedding, depending on the custom and social standing of the couple. Popular variation includes Surakartan, Jogjakarta, Paes Kesatrian, and Paes Ageng. The wedding rituals will include Siraman, Midodareni, Peningsetan, Ijab (for Muslims) or wedding sacrament (for Christians).
The bride and groom to be are showered at their respective homes, by families and close friends. Prayers are also given hoping for a good tide.
Held for the first pregnancy of a woman, when the pregnancy is in its seventh month. Family and close friends are invited. The mother-to-be is shrouded with seven layers of batik, symbolizing hope for a good child and delivery. Prayers and traditional food are also served.
Held when a child is 35 days, a ritual celebrating the new life. Family members and close friends will come to the event. The child's hair and nails are shaved. prayers, religious readings and a slametan is a common part of the event. After the event, cakes, sweets and eggs (symbolising the new life) will be shared.
Held when a child is around eight months old. Family members are invited, to celebrate a child starts walking.
For a boy, khitan, orcircumcision, is an important transition toward adulthood. The ritual usually held when the boy is 6 to 12 years old. Following the circumcision it is customary to sacrifice a goat, hold a slametan andwayang kulit(shadow puppet) performance.Circumcision is one factor that differentiate the Javanese with relatedBalineseandTenggerese, which still predominantly Hindu.
The day Hindu children of the Dieng community shave their hair. A large offering ceremony to the Gods at the temples are given. Afterwards the community arranges a festival. Tourists normally flock to see the event.
Prayers to hope for good tidings. Normallytumpengis served.
Prayers given on the 40th, 100th, and 1000th days since a person deceased.
Before the month of Ramadhan, family members visit the graves of their loved ones, pray for their well-being.
A kejawen ceremony, wherekebatinanbelievers throws a shroud to the sea or mountain, to throw away bad luck.
TheAmericananthropologistClifford Geertzin the 1960s divided the Javanese community into threealiranor "streams":santri,abanganandpriyayi. According to him, the Santri followed an orthodox interpretationIslam, the abangan was the followed a syncretic form of Islam that mixed Hindu and animist elements (often termedKejawen), and the priyayi was the nobility.
But today the Geertz opinion is often opposed because he mixed the social groups with belief groups. It was also difficult to apply this social categorisation in classing outsiders, for example other non-indigenousIndonesians such as persons ofArab,Chineseand Indian descent.
Social stratification is much less rigid in northern coast area, which is much more egalitarian.
The Keratons, the royal palaces of theYogyakarta Sultanateand theSurakarta Sunanate, are the central of the Javanese culture and social events. Although they are not ruling monarchs, they are still highly revered and look upon in the society. When addressing to the Sultan, a person is expected to speak in the refined "kromo inggil", but today formal bahasa Indonesia is also accepted.
Not all Javanese were once subjects of the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sunanate.
ThePriyayiswere once part of the ruling aristocrats, they have little function today. Some of Indonesia's ruling political figures are descendants of the priyayis. They are now part of the general society and work in numerous fields.
Villages are an important administrative unit in Java. It is divided into two types:Desawithelective leadership, usually in rural areas, andKelurahan, where the leadership is appointed by Indonesian government, usually in urban areas. Village administration is managed by officers, still called with their traditional Javanese names. These arelurah(village chief), assisted by offices ofcarik(village secretary),kamituwa(officer for social affairs),jagabaya(officer for security), andmodin(office forIslamicaffairs and rituals, derived from ArabicImamad-Din, or leader of the faith).
These officers traditionally didn't get paid in cash, but allotted a portion in the village's public land to be farmed, calledtanah bengkok.In modern-day Indonesia, Village chief is elected directly byuniversal suffrageof the villagers, who are 17 years old and above, or already married.As literacy rate was low before independence, it is customary for the rival candidates to use common items as their campaign symbol, such as fruits, vegetables or traditional foods. The village chief election is usually non-partisan.
Culturally, Javanese people adopt abilateral kinship system,with male and female descendants having equal importance. As such there is no preference on having a male heir likepaternalisticcultures in India or China. It is not customary for Javanese to have asurname. Women have a high degree of autonomy and are respected in Javanese culture.
In a traditional marriage, it is the groom's family who chooses the bride from a selection of prospects. Prior to the wedding, the groom's family will give the bride's family a sum of dower. Afterwards, the bride's family is responsible for paying for the wedding. The groom's family can help financially, but they are not obliged to do so. Traditionally, divorce is not acceptable, but it was acceptable for the husband to take a second wife or a mistress. Young Javanese normally do not follow these customs, and today most Javanese women will resist infidelity and opt for a divorce.Divorceis becoming acceptable in Java.
Javaneseis a member of theAustronesianfamily of languages and is closely related to, but distinct from, otherlanguages of Indonesia.It is notable for its great number of nearly ubiquitousSanskritloans, found especially in literary Javanese.This is due to the long history of Hindu and Buddhist influences in Java.
Most Javanese in Indonesia arebilingual, being fluent inIndonesianand Javanese.In a public poll heldc.1990, approximately 12% of Javanese usedIndonesian, around 18% used both Javanese and Indonesian, and the rest used Javanese exclusively.
The Javanese language was commonly written with a script descended from theBrahmi script, natively known asHanacarakaorCarakan. Upon Indonesian independence it was replaced with a form of theLatin alphabet.
While Javanese was not made anofficial languageof Indonesia, it has the status of 'regional language' for communication in the Javanese-majority regions. The language also can be viewed as an 'ethnic language' because it is one of the defining characteristics of the Javanese ethnic identity.
In Indonesia, Javanese can be found in all occupations, especially in the government and the military.
Traditionally, most Javanese are farmers. This was especially common because of the fertile volcanic soil in Java. The most important agricultural commodity is rice. In 1997, it was estimated that Java produced 55% of Indonesian output of the crop.Most farmers work small-scale rice field, with around 42% of farmers cultivate less than 0.5 hectare of rice field.In region where soil is less fertile of where rainy season is short, other staple crops is cultivated, such ascassava.
For the Javanese, blacksmiths are traditionally valued. Some blacksmiths fast, and meditate to reach perfection. Javanese blacksmiths provide a range of tools such as farming equipment and to cultural items such as gamelan instruments and kris.Majapahitrigidly use fire-arms and cannonade as a feature of warfare. The Javanese bronze breech-loaded swivel-gun, more correctly known as ameriamwas used ubiquitously by the Majapahit navy and unfortunately pirates and rival lords. The demise of theMajapahitempire also cause the flight of disaffected skilled bronze cannon-smiths toBrunei, modernSumatraandMalaysia, and thePhilippineslead to near universal use of the swivel-gun, especially on trade vessels to protect against prevalent marauding pirates, in theMakassar Strait.
Kerisis an important item, with many heirloom kris made by master blacksmiths holding significant historical value. The design of the keris, with its snake like blade, is to tear apart an opponent's abdomen, making the injury more severe. While the Javanese canting, enables them to make intricateBatik.
Kota Gedeis famous for itssilverworksand silver handicrafts.
Batiktextiles are a traditional pastime for women, although some villages specialize in batik, such as Pekalongan, Kauman, Kampung Taman, and Laweyan.
The Javanese art of wood carving is traditionally applied to various cultural attributes such as statues, (wayang-)dolls, and masks.
The Javanesecalendaris used by Javanese people concurrently with two other calendars, theGregorian calendarand theIslamic calendar. Gregorian calendar is the official calendar of Indonesia while the Islamic calendar is used by Muslims and Indonesian government for religious worship and deciding relevantIslamic holidays. Javanese calendar presently used mostly for cultural events (such asSatu Sura). As a lunar calendar, its epoch year was inAD 125, the present Javanese calendar system was adopted bySultan Agungin 1633, based on the Islamic calendar. Previously, Javanese people used a solar system based on theHindu calendar.
Unlike many other calendars, the Javanese calendar uses a 5-day week known as thePasarancycle. This is still in use today and superimposed with 7-day week of theGregorian calendarandIslamic calendarto become what is known as the 35-dayWetonan cycle.
Javanese origin artforms are among the best known inIndonesiaand the whole archipelago. The famous Javanesewayangpuppetry culture was influenced by Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly based on epics from India;RamayanaandMahabharata. These epics and stories influenced wayang puppetry as well as Javanese classical dances. The influences fromIslamand theWestern worldalso can be found. The art ofbatik, andkrisdagger are of Javanese origin.
Gamelanmusical ensembles are found in bothJavaandBali. All of these artforms holds important position, and function within Javanese culture and tradition.
Throughout their long history, the Javanese have produced many important buildings, ranging from Hindu monuments, Buddhiststupa, mortuary temples, palace complexes, and mosques.
The paragon of religious monuments are Hindu temple ofPrambananand Buddhist temple ofBorobudur. Both of them 9th centuries temples which areUNESCOWorld Heritage Site. Both are located near city ofYogyakartain the slope of Mount Merapi.
Meanwhile, example of secular building can be seen in ruins of former capital city ofMajapahitKingdom (14th to 16th century AD) inTrowulan,East Java. The complex covers an area of 11 km x 9 km. It consists of various brick building, ranging from 20 to 40 meter-wide canal, purification pools, temples and iconic split gates.The capital complex is currently being considered as a candidate for becoming aUNESCO World Heritage Site.
Traditional Javanese building can be identified by its trapezoid shaped roof supported by wooden pillars.Another common feature in Javanese building ispendopo, a pavilion with open-side and four large pillars. The pillars and other part of the buildings can be richlycarved. This architecture style can be found atkratonor palace of the Sultanates ofYogyakarta(palaces ofHamengkubuwonoandPakualaman) andSurakarta(palaces ofPakubuwonoandMangkunegaran).
Traditionalmosquesin Java maintain a distinctive Javanese style. Thependopomodel is used as main feature of the mosque as its prayer hall. A trapezoidal roof is used instead of the more typically Muslimdome. These roofs are often multi-tiered and tiled.In addition to not using domes, traditional Javanese mosques also often lackminarets.The split gate from earlier Hindu-Buddhist period is still used in many mosques and public buildings in Java.
Some notable examples of mosques using traditional Javanese architecture includeAgung Demak Mosque,Menara Kudus Mosqueand the Grand Mosque ofBanten. The Kudus Mosque is also of note because it incorporates Hindu-style stone architecture.
Javanese do not usually have family names or surnames. Many have just a single name, such asSukarnoorSuharto. Javanese names may come from traditional Javanese languages, many of which are derived fromSanskrit. Names with the prefixSu-,which meansgood, are very common. After the advent of Islam, many Javanese began usingArabicnames, especially in the coastal regions where Islamic influences were stronger. Commoners usually only have one-word names, while nobilities use two-or-more-word names, but rarely a surname. Due to the influence of other cultures, many people started using names from other languages, mainlyEuropean languages.ChristianJavanese usually useLatinbaptismnames followed by a traditional Javanese name.
Some people use apatronymic. For example,Abdurrahman Wahid's name is derived from his father's name (Wahid Hasyim) who was an independence fighter and minister. In turn, Wahid Hasyim's name was derived from that of his father:Hasyim Asyari, a famous cleric and founder of theNahdlatul Ulamaorganisation.
Javanese cuisine and culture place an important role inrice, the staple food of the island. Among Javanese it is considered not to have a meal if a person hasn't eaten rice yet.It is also important part of identity that differentiate Javanese with foreigners that eatbread(the Europeans) and resident of other island who eatsago(for exampleMoluccans). Rice is also symbol of development and prosperity, whilecassavaandtuberis associated with poverty.
Javanese cuisine is varied by regions. Eastern Javanese cuisine has preference for more salty and hot foods,while the Central Javanese prefer sweeter foods.
Famous food in Javanese cuisine is for exampleRujak Cingur,a marinatedcowlips and noses, served with vegetable, shrimp prawn andpeanut saucewithchili. Rujak Cingur is considered traditional food ofSurabayainEast Java.
Gudegis a traditional food fromYogyakartaandCentral Javawhich is made from youngnangka(jack fruit) boiled for several hours withpalm sugar, andcoconut milk.
Pecel, a type of peanut sauce with chiliis a common ingredient in Javanese cuisine. It is used in various type ofRujakandGado-gado. It can also be used as stand alone sauce with rice and prawn, egg and vegetables asNasi Pecel(Pecel rice).
Tumpeng, is a rice served in the shape of aconical volcano,usually with rice colored yellow usingturmeric. It is an important part of ceremony in Java. Tumpeng served in landmark events such as birthday, moving house, or other ceremonies.Traditionally, Tumpeng is served alongside fried chicken, boiled egg, vegetables, goat meat on a round plate made frombamboocalledbesek.
A notable food in Java istempeh, ameat substitutemade fromsoy beanfermented withmold. It is a staple source of protein in Java and popular in the world as an excellent meat substitute forvegetarians.