Magical Dancing of Jaran Kepang, Who Dare Eating Glass n Fire

Doger / Jaran kepang orr kuda lumping is one of Indonesia's cultural richness. Jaran kepang art that has long been recognized by the Java community and all people in "nusantara"
Java Community gave the name on Jaranan tradition with jaran kepang,or jatilan and for society in some area in east java Nongkojajar it's known as Doger .

Although with different names, attributes and costume that used 2 dance , gamelan (instrument from java), and a typical rocking horse made of woven bamboo ridden by dancers lesson .

Jaran kepang is very identical with a mystical atmosphere, where before the show horse braid in Start a person to burn incense to invite spirits for later taken possession of some of the dancers so the dancers become unconscious of what they do.

in that condition theu can do like, eating fire, eating flowers, eating broken glass / porcelain, it's called "ndadi" , it meant to become.

A dancer who is possessed, eating glass in the yard Vihara Avalokitesvara, Pamekasan, Madura, East Java, on Wednesday night (4 / 11).Link

Performing Arts of Jaran Kepang is usually held at the time of circumcision or wedding celebration, the event for national holidays like Independence Day Celebration.

Eating burning wood

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To give an idea about the art of braid or Doger lesson of this post I include excerpts show Jaran kepang art in the Village Pungging,Tutur distric Pasuruan East Java on one of celebration Villagers Pungging. Jaran kepang organization named Langgeng Budoyo Pungging, chairman Mr Riyamun villagers Pungging Kec. Tutur Pasuruan.



Here another video of NDADI in Jaran kepang (they eat neon lamp.......)

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Scarry Burrial Sites and Ceremonial In Toraja

When I lived in a student mess at Yogkarta, I'm getting close with a friend who came from South Sulawesi. He talked about the ceremony about the massive death, and the corpses that are not buried, but placed in natural caves.I was surprised-astonished. Left just like that? Not buried? He said yes. I can not believe it. How could the body not be buried in the soil, or not burned in cremation?

I was more surprising when my friend told me, people who died, are stored first in the house, and treated as if he was still alive, it's just, he's in a state of "illness" and continue to be provided to eat and drink every day. can you Imagine to living with the dead in same house? Still according to his story, the bodies will be given special spices then wrapped and layered fabric to resemble a big pillow.

many people in Toraja house smell fragrant spices. Foreigners will consider it usual fragrant spices typical of Toraja. Only those who recognize is the people of Toraja, the smell was spicy corpse or not .... hmmm!

Well, after several months, or even years , when the family is able to throw a party to the dead called Solok, which is customary before delivering the body of the party to his final resting place, namely on the cliff of the mountain, or in a cave.

This cave was once banned for the public. But now ordinary people can be visited.didn't they smell of corpses? "I screamed spontaneously.My friend shook his head.I'm curious ... but, ... it is impossible until I see it with my own eyes.

And then, some time later, I watch TV shows that cover the dark cave where the skull was lined-row with the surrounding bones .. I think my friend tell the truth...and than I wondering if I could see it alive... , I wish I could go there ...

Well, some time ago I have a vacation with my husband to Toraja. This is the third time I visited the place that called "land in the clouds" .Well, a unique place visited by many foreign and domestic tourists are .... grave.
the place for some people is horrible , changed become a tourist attraction by the local government.
Here are some of the famous burial site locations in Toraja...

1. Londa

This is where the nobles Tangdinoq buried. Until now, this place is still in use.We see the Tau Tau (a kind of artificial doll deceased during life) and crates which hung on the outside, just above the trail where visitors milling about.

Crates were placed on a wooden on the cliff, or tied with rope fibers. hiyy… Had horrified really, what if suddenly brakkk!! And the casket fell on top of us ... hiyy ...

Londa is shaped natural cave that very dark. It was impossible to enter it without illumination. Here the offered services plus light guide petromax the price of Rp 20,000, (2.2 bucks). This guide will accompany us into the cave, damp and dark, and tell when we have to stop, or when we had to descend the slippery part.
And ... We also saw crates of fresh put in there, too old crates and a lot of plastic bottles and cigarette butts. Also the skull and bones.

the guide said, families still often come pilgrimage and bring drinks and cigarettes for those who died. This guide would help slingshot us posing with the skull that ... He also fluently spoke of this place. I asked to the guide . "What if crate hanging outside it fall?"Guide replied calmly."It just left alone, will not be collected, will not be moved . There is a plague that would happened if the bones were removed without the customary feast. So only just a wild animal or trampled people, dared to move them. "

so to change the location of the skull and other bones that have to with more traditional party. Imagine, a party to "rest" here, and the party again if you want to change the position of the bone bone ... Whew ... how much it cost for this party huh?
According to their belief, bodies had been returned to nature, then let nature do anything about it. Humans can no longer in doing things add modifiers.

Pernah terjadi, kata sang guide, seorang pengunjung, -pelajar SMP peserta study tour dari luar wilayah Toraja- kesurupan setelah dia sengaja memindahkan sebuah tengkorak untuk menakuti dan mengisengi kawan-kawannya.

Actually, there are other alleys deeper, but the tour guide said, the course is more slippery and steep, not to mention the thin oxygen in there.
first, I thought, we will smell "the smell of the decay" ... the smell of rotting corpses so, but, i dont ...

2. Lemo

A little bit different with Londa, Lemo burial site is in the cliff. So this big rock and then punched to the body of people put into it. Tau Tau lined placed in a hole, like a man sitting behind a window. the higher tomb, is belong to higher social status as well.

Lemo and Tau Tau in "Windows"

At Lemo, under the window Tau Tau existing footpath to the left. Just follow the path, then if you do not get lost :) You will exit through several workshops craftsmen Tau Tau, then you will be treated to a paddy field with beautiful views ...
You can buy souvenirs here Toraja, or just look around.

3. Suaya

Located in the district Sanggala. Burial site of the kings and nobles Toraja is believed to be descendants Tamborolangi, deities of the Toraja people's confidence that teach the origins of cultivation and traditional rituals. Here there are also tau-tau.

In this Suaya site, there is a relatively steep stairs, now, when he got on top, we can enjoy the beautiful scenery stretches from the heights.

4.Tampangallo

Burial site shaped natural cave, almost similar to Londa.
Here we were wrong driveway. We found a small, dark hallway. We're not sure what's in it.
Want to go in but... we doubt ... how about getting lost inside? Or oxygen-thin? The hall was very dark. Then I think ii should shoot it, to take a picture. Blitz camera is definitely sharper than our eyes. Snap! And I see on my digital camera screen, a relatively clean hallway and staircase.dark alley, can be seen from the camera shots
Eventually we ventured to enter desperate, groping and track-trail safe footing while to figure this hall in the shape of the camera.

Dark Hall light up by camera blitz

Finally, on the other end of the visible light. We move on toward the light, down a bit and .... hoooohhh ... its huge cave area ,clean and brightly lit.

We had chuckled in amusement. it's another cave burial site . Then we fell silent as we looked like a row of skulls. Hmmm ... it's another cave burial site.
The difference here with the Londa, here is relatively cleaner and more orderly. Also out of sight (erong) crates that are still new. All ancient and Tau Tau is also looks very old ..

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in some places in Toraja, the community has a unique culture, to enter into the stone coffins.

This stone is drilled, and called burrows.According to local people that we meet, to make this hole, the cost is equivalent to 30 million rupiah (3.500 US $).
In this rock, old lady with a legitimate descendants can be buried here. So, in a canal, dozens of frameworks can be entered preceded customary party. Prior held a party, bodies will be stored in the house.

The tomb of the famous stone and perhaps largest in Lokamata Toraja, on the slopes Sesean. To go over here to be extra careful because the road is very narrow. No Tau Tau here, and underneath there are many fragments of stone makes the burrow.

5. Lokamata

 

Lots of large rocks scattered around this area, there is also a stone which is only used for one hole.While other segments of society, chose to build patane, or house the tomb, built of brick, cement and other building materials.

On the one patane, can be decades in the framework put into it. And sometimes decorated with Tau Tau. Today, the region has issued rules concerning restrictions patane development.Of course there are still bodies buried in Toraja community in the burial ground like we know today. They call it "planted".

Source :www.nanaharmanto.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/burial-sites-of-toraja

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Extreme Culture, Cut Off fingers As An Expression of Sadness in Papua

Crying, perhaps it is most often encountered. For the general public and especially the central mountain Wamena expressions of grief of losing a family member not only to cry alone.Usually they will be smearing themselves with mud to a certain period. But what makes them different cultures with many tribal cultures in other areas are cut off their fingers.

Almost the same as what is done by the Yakuza (Criminal Organization known in Japan) if they have violated the rules set by the organization or fail to execute their mission.

As an expression of remorse, they must cut one of their fingers. For the people of the middle mountain, cutting a finger made where immediate family members such as husband, wife, father, mother, son, brother, or sister died.Cutting finger symbolizes the pain when losing a loved family member. The phrase is so profound, even should have lost limbs.

For the people of BAliem in mountains Jayawijaya, the family has a very important role. For people Balim Jayawijaya togetherness in a family has its own values.

Finger cutting is generally done by the mother. But did not rule out cutting the finger performed by family members of the parent male or female. Cutting finger can also be interpreted as an effort to prevent the 'recurrence' doom that has claimed the lives of someone in the family is grieving.

Like the story of a mother from Moni (a tribe in the area Paniai), he told me that his little finger bitten by his mother when he was born. It had to be done by the mother because some children who were born before always died.

With the right pinkie finger decided he had just given birth to a child, the mother hopes that what happened to the children previously,do not happened to this baby.
This sounds very extreme, but in reality this is so, a woman from Moni has provided many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the mother.

Cutting finger done in various ways. There was a cut finger by using sharp tools such as knives, machetes, or ax. Another way is by tying finger with a rope for some time so the network is bound to be dead and then cut.

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