Javanese Costume: Foto-ku Sawuse Nari

Gara-gara posting bab wong-wong manca sing kasengsem marang kabudayan Jawa wingi kae, aku dadi kepingin ng-upload fotoku ngisor iki.



Urut saka buri arah jarum jam: Agung (saiki sliramu nangendi?), Wagiman, Jarwa (Wa, iki fotomu dak upload nang internet! hehehe...), Isri, aku, lan Hartono. Nggantheng-nggantheng toh? Hehehe...

Iku foto rikala aku sakanca rampung ngiringi persembahan nganggo tarian Jawa ing salah sawijining Misa. Papane ing kapel Seminari Tinggi St. Paulus Kentungan Jogja. Kelakone ing tahun pira ya? Yen ora kleru tahun 1996-an.

Heee...kanca-kanca! Iki fotone dak upload, kanggo tamba kangen! Ayo dikomentari!
Eh, kapan nari bareng maneh? Isih pada kelingan ora: sabetan, tanjak, ulap-ulap, onclang, lsp.?

Muga-muga pada apik wae kahanane saiki. Pandongaku, muga awake dhewe tansah padha binerkahan anggone martaake kabar kabungahan miturut carane dhewe-dhewe.

Berkah Dalem! ***

Fill in my Guestbook! (Buku Tamu)

Hello readers!
I'm glad you're coming here. No matter who you are or where you are from, I believe that there's something bringing you here.

Maybe you're a Javanese in a foreign country, being apart from our home-land Indonesia. If so, "Sugeng rawuh! Matur nuwun sampun mampir ing blog punika. Kados pundi kabaripun? Mugi-mugi kawontenanipun sehat lan bingah. Blog punika kaaturaken antawisipun pancen kagem panjenengan ingkang nembe ing tanah manca, minangka jampi kangen."

Maybe you're a foreigner but curious of the title of my blog "Born Javanese" and willing to feel the taste of Javanese atmosphere. Here you are! Mmmm... have problem with the language? Don't worry. Some entries are in English as possible as I can try. So, feel free also to leave comments here, under any entry you want to. Please go ahead, I will so appreciate that. English is OK! Be sure to leave a link(s) of yours if you have one(s). That's good to raise your site(s)'s page-rank, isn't it?

Or, are you from Suriname? Wow! Aku seneng panjenengan mampir kene. Ampun kapok nggih. Muga-muga blog iki bisa kanggo tamba kangen marang tanah leluhur: tanah Jawa ing Indonesia.

OK! Here you go! Just fill in the guestbook. I promise I'll visit yours!

Have a great time!

Best regards,
Kandar Ag.

Ki Gaura lan Nyi Elizabeth, kula kasengsem, isin lan meri!

Wis pirang-pirang dina iki sejatine aku kepengen nulis bab wong-wong seka manca nagara sing kasengsem marang kabudayan Jawa. Nanging iku durung kelakon merga sirah iki rasane kebak, awak kesel merga gawean, lan ati sing ora pati jenjem merga akeh sing marahi kemrungsung. Saking kepengine lan kangen nulis ing blog, mula ya lagi pepenginan wae sing dak aturake (hehehe...).

Pirang dina kepungkur (dinane lali) aku nonton tayangan TV Trans-7 Empat Mata-ne Mas Thukul Arwana. Sing diundang ing talk-show iku dhalang kondhang Ki Manteb Sudarsono, Ki Asep Sunandar, lan Ki Gaura Mancacarito (dhalang asal Australia sing wis dadi WNI). Kejaba priyayi kakung ana uga priyayi putri yaiku Ria Enes (sing maragaake boneka Susan) lan Nyi Elizabeth (sindhen asli Perancis). Ora kaya adat biasane yen nonton Thukul, wengi iku aku nonton kanthi rasa gumun, kasengsem, lan...isin!

Kawigatenku mung marang Ki Gaura lan Nyi Elisabeth. Ing atase priyayi manca nagara wae padha kasengsem lan mbelani kabudayan Jawa nganti direwangi rila ninggalake nagarane, lha kok aku sing wong Jawa asli ora pati nggape, luwih seneng dadi penikmat tinimbang pelaku budaya! Isih mendhing yen sing dinikmati iku seni budayane dhewe, apese mratandhani tresna marang warisan leluhur. Nanging umume bocah-bocah nom saiki luwih gampang kepilut marang kabudayan manca (hehehe...ngrasani ala!). Aku isin, nganti kalah karo wong manca! Maksudku, kalah anggone gemati marang duwekku dhewe.

Aku dhewe sejatine kepingin isa kaya priyayi loro iku, melu dadi pelaku seni budaya Jawa sing gemati lan mumpuni. Biyen rikala SMA aku sinau beksa (tari), setahun kaping pindho pentas sendratari utawa wayang won ing asrama sekolahan. Mangsane kuliah aku sinau nabuh kendhang bareng kelompok angkatanku, butuhe kareben isa ngiringi pangibadah ing greja. Nanging ya mung tekan semono! Dadi, nyipati ana priyayi manca sing luwih mumpuni kaya Ki Gaura lan Nyi Elizabeth iku (lan isih ana akeh liyane maneh), sejatine aku meri! Aneh! Meri kok ya karo wong manca! Byuh...byuh...!

Ki Gaura, Nyi Elizabeth, kula kasengsem, isin lan meri dhumateng priyantun kados panjengengan! Nanging ugi kanthi tulus kula matur nuwun sanget dene panjenengan sampun ndherek nguri-uri kabudayan Jawi.
(Isih karo isin! Hehehe...tambah maneh yen nggatekake penari ing video seka YouTube.Com ngisor iki!)



Sacara emosi, rasa kasengsem, meri lan isinku dadi marakake ati nelangsa: muntub-muntub kepingin tumandang nanging winates dening kahanan. Saploke aku mlebu donyaning pagawean ing Jakarta, sasat ora isa nandangi pepinginan iku. Isane mung ngrungokake uyon-uyon, campursari lan kaset wayang (eh, aku duwe MP3 wayang Ki Hadisugito olehe gawe dhewe lho, mindhah seka pita kaset dadi keping CD. Hehe..mbajak!). Kala-kala rengeng-rengeng dhewe nang kantor utawa nang ngomah yen pas adus. Golek informasi kelompok campursari sing cedhak papan kontrakanku ora oleh-oleh. Kelompok karawitan sing cerak ora ana. Tundhone ya mung kapeksa nglalekake pepinginan iku. Nonton tayangan iku ati iki dadi malah kaya dionggreh-onggreh maneh pepinginane. Wah, jan...!

Nanging apa ya cukup mung mangkono wae?

Ah, saora-orane aku duwe blog iki! Apese isa kanggo srana nggegulang kawruh lan kawigaten marang kabudayan Jawa. Sawetara isa kanggo srana anggonku mujudake pepinginanku dhewe, melu mersudi luhuring kabudayane leluhur. ***

Kelangan Kiblat

Bubar riyaya Lebaran utawa Bakda biasane akeh wong urban anyaran mara ing Jakarta. Isa diwaspadaake anane pratandha owah-owahan kultur. Salah sijine yaiku kultur bab araning kiblat. “Kiblat” utawa sing sok diarani “arah mata angin” lumrahe dianggo pandom lan pituduh arah utawa papan. Yen panjenengan kagungan kompas, jarume nuduhake arah lor lan kidul (utara-selatan). Sabanjure awake dhewe bisa ngenali arah kulon lan wetan (barat-timur). Nanging ing Jakarta, kiblat miturut kompas kaya mangkono sajake ora populer!

Aku isih kelingan dina-dina sepisanan mapan ing Jakarta. Yen aku takon marang pawongan liya bab dalan utawa lokasi tertamtu aku ora nate krungu tembung “wetan-kulon-lor-kidul”. Sing diango nuduhake arah, yen ora “kiwa-tengen” ya “sawuse-sadurunge”! Balik yen aku sing ditakoni trus anggonku nerangake kanthi migunaake kiblat miturut kompas, sing takon malah bingung lan njaluk supaya diterangake nganggo “kiwa-tengen”!

Pancen, nerangake nganggo rong tembung iku dadi luwih gathuk. Dhasar gampang lan prasaja. Nanging tuwuh pitakonan ing atiku: iki perlambang apa?! Kok tembung “kiwa-tengen” luwih populer tinimbang “wetan-kulon-lor-kidul”? Aku krasa kaya-kaya ana surasaning urip sing ditinggalake, utawa kanthi ukara liya: ana sing kudu luwih digatekake tinimbang kawruh kiblat sacara wadhag.

Sedulur-sedulur Muslim nggatekake banget ananing kiblat mata-angin iku rikala arep ngedegake sholat. Dadi kepriyea wae kiblat papat (wetan-kulon-lor-kidul) tetep penting. Ngenali kiblat iku banjur bisa kabiyantu anggone sembahyang.

Nanging, ing njabaning papan pangibadah, kiblat sing kanggo malik grembyang dadi “kiwa-tengen”! Plethek lan suruping srengenge mbokmenawa pancen arang disipati wong Jakarta. Mbokmenawa marga katutupan gedhung utawa pedhut polusi. Kamangka arah soroting srengenge kuwi bisa kanggo nuduhake kompas (kejaba yen pas tengah awan presis). Mula wong-wong padha milih “kiwa-tengen”. Yen dijereng maneh, pilihane dadi “kiwa-tengen”, “ngarep-buri”, “maju-mundur”, “kurang-kebablasen”, lsp. Nanging sing paling “fatal” tetep “kiwa-tengen”, arep ngiwa apa arep nengen? Kleru milih sijine bakale luput utawa kesasar anggone andon laku. Yen kudune ngiwa malah nengen, utawa suwalike, temahan ora tekan papan sing kaangkah!

Jakarta wus kawentar kutha metropolitan sing paling gedhe ing Indonesia. Kabudayane wus “heterogen” banget. Ikatan sosial antarane wong siji lan sijine luwih kabangun dening linkungan pakaryan, pasrawungan, hobby lan minat. Sipate luwih “kategorial” tinimbang “geografis”. Kontrol moral lan sosial dibalekake marang kadewasane saben pribadi. Sing diarani “bebas” saka pranatan sosial pancen isa kelakon temenan. Saben wong bisa ndhelik ing satengahe “ombyokan” kanthi identitas sing “anonim”.

Ing swasana sing kaya mangkono iku yen awake dhewe ora duwe “kiblating laku” sing gumathok, bakale nubras-nubras ora karuan. R. Ngabei Ronggowarsito ing Serat Kalatida, tembang Sinom pupuh kapitu (kurang luwih sinerat th. 1860) ngandika mangkene:

Amenangi jaman edan, ewuh aya ing pambudi, melu edan nora tahan, yen tan melu anglakoni, boya kaduman melik, kaliren wekasanipun, ndilalah karsa Allah, begja-begjane kang lali, luwih begja kang eling lawan waspada.

Hidup di zaman edan, betapa susahnya, ikut edan tidak tahan, jika tak ikut tak kebagian, akhirnya bisa kelaparan, sudah kehendak Allah, betapa senang hidup menyimpang, lebih bahagia hidup dengan kesadaran dan kewaspadaan).

Pandongaku, muga-muga para sadulur urban anyaran tetep eling lan ora kelangan kiblat kanggo andon laku ing Jakarta! ***

Kandar Ag.

Wedangan yuuuuk...!!!

Ana ciriwanci sing dak kangeni seka swasana ngomah yen wanci esuk, yaiku wedangan! Wujude mono prasaja utawa sederhana: jagongan karo ngadhep wedang anget sak adune, mbuh pisang goreng, tela goreng utawa jajan pasar liyane. Kopi utawa teh manis wae wus cukup kanggo kanca ngobrol. Pancen ora mesthi saben esuk. Nanging biasane yen ana tangga teparo, mbuh paklik utawa pakdhe sing nunut ngasah arit sadurunge menyang sawah, bapakku mesthi ngampirake ngajak ngombe wedang, papane ana ing pawon.

Ora ana tema sing gumathok ana ing obrolan iku. Ngalor-ngidul sakarepe ide. Sing mesthi kuwi bab olah tetanen nggarap sawah. Kadhang crita ngenani bocah-bocah sekolah. Nanging uga sok-sok mrembet-mrembet ngomongake bab kahanan masyarakat desa utawa malah politik negara. Wiwit pak dhukuh nganti pak presiden, bakul arit nganti juragan pabrik mobil, kabeh isa dadi bahan omongan gayeng. Durung suwe iki bab rega tanaman hias sing jenenge “anthurium” dadi guneman sing ora kalah serune. Terkadhang ing obrolan iku uga wong sapejagong wedangan isa mawas dhiri anggone ngadhepi ombyaking jaman saiki.

Yen wis ketungkul ngobrol ngono, suwene wektu sok ora dirasaake. Isa jam-jaman. Dhasare mono wong tani desa sing ora diuyak-uyak “deadline” kaya wong kantoran kutha, sarwa-sarwi dilakoni kanthi kepenak wae. Nglaras lan mat-matan. “Time goes so slowly”.

Kanggone priyayi sing gemati marang wektu, ana unen-unen “time is money” – "waktu adalah uang", mesthi wae wedangan kaya ngono kuwi mau dianggep pemborosan! Ananging mungguhing wong padesan, wektu wedangan iku ana paedah sing mirunggan. Beda karo wong kutha sing sarwa-sarwi nganggo dhuwit, beras wae nempur, wong tani padesan iku ora mikir maneh apa sing isa dipangan. Apa wae isa dadi rejeki anggere prigel: lemah dadi rejeki, pupus godhong pohung dadi rejeki, kimpul dadi rejeki, godhong gedhang dadi rejeki. Ana unen-unen wong padesan iku “adoh ratu, cerak watu”. Sanadyan unen-unen iku sok dianggo nggambarake papa-sudrane wong padesan, ananging krasa ana kebanggaane: watu wae isa didadekake kanugrahan rejeki! Cekake, bab rejeki, wong tani desa ora bakal kapiran! Yen wayahe duwe butuh pas ora duwe dhuwit, isih isa “barter”.

Wektu wedangan isa dadi gegambaran menawa wong desa iku uripe ora kemrungsung. Sing diudi lan diwujudake ana ing kalodhangan iku utamane dudu bab dhuwit, ananging bab mbangun brayat, mbangun kekadangan, mbangun rumakete paseduluran. Mula diarani “wedang” merga ngemu teges “ngawe kadang” (= mengundang sahabat). Butuhe wong urip ing madyaning bebrayatan agung iku ora mung cukup dhuwit.

Wong padesan biasane mentingake anggone sugih sedulur ngluwihi anggone sugih bandha. Awit paseduluran sing tulus rumaket ajine ora isa diregani nganggo bandha donya. Durung karuan wong sing sugih bandha disrawungi wong akeh. Ananging wong sing grapyak semanak lan enthengan mesthi digatekake wong akeh. Yen nemahi reribet mesthi akeh sing mitulungi lan ora bakal kapiran.

Saiki aku urip ing kutha gedhe Jakarta. Swasana wedangan kaya ing ngomah ing desa kana angel dicakake ana ing kahananku saiki. Sanadyan mangkono filosofine wus isa dak gemboli.

Sedhela maneh wayahe Riyaya Bakda utawa Lebaran Idul Fitri. Wong-wong akeh sing padha “mudik” ing kampung asale dhewe-dhewe, kumpul daro sanak sedulure. Aku mung mbatin, apa ya yen wis dadi priyayi urban, isane wedangan tenanan mung setahun sepisan?

Hehehe… muga-muga isih ana kalodhangan liyane! ***

Life is a pilgrimage to "The One Determined Direction"

To Javanese people “life” is a “journey” (laku) of mankind coming back to God, The Sangkan-Paraning-Dumadi, The Alfa and Omega. The basic principal of laku according to Javanese is mystical union with God (manunggaling kawula-Gusti). God is understood as Sang Hyang Antaya that cannot be imagined at all (tan kena-kinayangapa) but emptiness (awang-uwung) or mysterious (gaib). The man's journey of coming back to God, then, must be accompanied by ascetic life to purify heart and soul from all kinds of egoism. Everybody must be free from self-profit and reward (sepi ing pamrih). This way of purification will guide them into their original being that is as a spark-fire of God.

Various conceptions of the mystery of God enable distortions and conterfeitings against the true laku to take place. This should become an important thing that Javanese should be aware of! The answers of many questions around the existence of God and man (such as: Who is God? Who is man) that Javanese wisdom has tried to find out seem to be completed from time to time. And it is possible as the Javanese are sincretic in philosophy as well as in religiousity. The characteristic has designed the Javanese culture as a culture that is easy to adapt those of others without loosing the core.

What is the core of the Javanese culture? To be honest I myself still have to find out more in the traditions I've received and lived up to now and forever. It is a sense (or feeling, rasa, taste) of being Javanese. While I am a Javanese, I am a Christian also. That's the matter. However, I feel okey since I know the faith I believe in. You know, I'm proud of being a Javanese as well as a Christian. I know how to critizise myself as a Javanese and how to critizise myself as a Christian. I am living a process of inculturation of Christian faith in a sense of Javanese. Which one is to be the prior? It's a dialectical attitude of living. That's the core of my own culture!

There are many religions exist among the Javanese. So there are many ways to live as Javanese. As a result, there are many "cultures" among the Javanese people, and they claim to be Javanese! And yes, we are!

The one thing that unites us the Javanese is the wisdom of Sangkan-Paraning-Dumadi, though each of us has specific conceptions according to the faith of each religion. And the tradition of laku itself has been interpreted and completed in each religion's tradition. The wisdom from the Javanese esoteric knowledge has preserved the moral to be completed: sepi ing pamrih, rame ing gawe, mamayu hayuning bawana. That's the way (laku) to go the journey. And as the aim of the journey is union with God, it's rather a pilgrimage than just a traveling or moreover an adventure.

The Javanese has a pretty interpretation from the pronounciation of the word "ziarah" (= pilgrimage). The wording of "ziarah" is "ji-arah", This word abbreviates two words: "siji" (one) and "arah" (direction). Thus "ziarah" (pilgrimage) is so-interpreted as "siji sing diarah" - just one determined direction - that is God, the Sangkan-Paraning-Dumadi, The Alfa and Omega of all beings! When the union happens, the universe (macrocosmos and microcosmos) would be so beautiful! How to achieve the state is a set of unending efforts to beautify the world (universe) intensively and extensively, no matter what religion!

And that will be the crown of human dignity according to the Javanese perception. ***

Nama kinarya japa

Saben-saben aku mlebu ing sawijining komunitas utawa forum, biasane ana wektu kanggo pitepungan. Apese ana lembaran daftar-hadir sing diisi kanthi gilir. Ana kolom jeneng, alamat, nomor telpun, pakaryan, lsp. Lha, saben ngenalake awakku sacara lisan utawa tulisan, aku mesthi dielingake kekudangane wong tuwaku rikala maringi tetenger marang aku. Sanadyan mung saktleraman, ananging kanggoku iku ana wigatine. Sebab rikala bapak-simbok nemtokake jeneng kanggoku mesthine ora mung sakecele. Ana unen-unen "nama kirnarya japa" - jeneng iku mujudake dedonga tumrape kang nganggo. Mesthi wae dongane apik! Apa ana wong tuwa kang memuji ala kanggo para putrane?

Kejaba donga, jeneng uga dadi "pusaka". Mula, menehi jeneng marang bocah sok disebut "maringi pusaka asma". Kamangka sing kaaran pusaka iku biasane ngemu surasa "warisan, peparing kang kudu dipepetri" lan uga "piandel, kekuwatan, gaman". Dak kira yen dionceki maknane isa jero banget. Bapak-simbok mbokmenawa pancen dudu golongane wong sugih bandha lan pangkat. Sing diduweni mung warisan arupa "kekasih" yaiku awujud katresnane bapak-simbok marang awakku. Katresnan sing kinanthen donga lan disandhangake minangka tetenger tumraping uripku, sabanjure dadi kekuwatanku anggone andon laku urip ana ing bebrayatan agung. Katresnan sing kinanthen donga iku pinercayaake marang aku supaya diwujudake lan dicakake ana ing urip padinan. Dadi, wis samesthine menawa pusaka asma kang dak sandhang iku merbawani mligine kanggo uripku dhewe dhisik.

Mula prayoga yen aku panjenengan kabeh mangerteni apa ta werdine jeneng utawa asma kang wus kasandhang. Perlune supaya tansah eling marang kanugrahan asma iku lan gegayuhan luhur kang dipasrahake marang awake dhewe.

Jenengku Sukandar. "Su" iku "becik, apik". Dene "kandar"? Lha iki, aku dhewe rada bingung mangerteni. Rikala miterang marang bapak, jarene tegese "katresnan, kasih". Nanging yen dak waca ana ing kamus bahasa Indonesia, "kandar" kuwi tegese "sopir"! Ah, kabeh apik! "Katresnan sing becik" utawa "sopir sing becik" loro-lorone padha apike. Dhasare aku iki anak barep, dadi ya memper yen kudu dadi sopir utawa ngesuhi tumraping adhi-adhiku, munggahe tumrap kabeh wong sing dipercayaake marang aku! Sopir sing kebak ing katresnan!

Hehehe... dadi rada nggembelo sirahku marga mongkok! Sanadyan ya rada manteb anggone nyangga. Ya muga-muga wae aku ora kabotan nyangga jeneng iku. Aku mung percaya wae, awit jenengku itu dedongaku uga. Gusti lak ya tansah paring kekuwatan marang aku.

Hayo... kagungane asma apa werdine? Yen durung priksa, nyuwuna priksa marang bapak-simbok utawa...simbah! Hehehe...

Aku percaya, asma panjenengan dongane mesthi apik!

Salam, lan berkah Dalem Gusti!