The city of Yogyakarta is famous for its strong Javanese culture. One of them is the grebeg parade Yogyakarta.
Do you know what the Yogyakarta grebeg tradition is? Or maybe you have participated in this festive tradition?
The grebeg tradition is usually carried out when it coincides with an Islamic religious holiday. This tradition was initiated by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I and is still carried out today. In the beginning, this tradition was carried out with the aim of spreading Islam.
Yogyakarta’s grebeg tradition has its own uniqueness. This tradition is identical to the existence of gunungan (mount of foods) which symbolizes the prosperity of the Yogyakarta Palace. The gunungan is a large amount of food that comes from various crops and will later be distributed to the community.
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Grebeg Parade Yogyakarta
The grebeg ceremony comes from the word grebe, gerbeg. In Javanese, the word grebeg means the sound of the wind. While in the Javanese language Anggrebeg has the meaning of herding the King, dignitaries, or brides.
Grebeg Kraton Sultanate of Yogyakarta was held for the first time by Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. During the ceremony, the Sultan released several guns. At the ceremony, the Sultan released several gunungan, such as gunungan lanang, gunungan wadon, gunungan gepak, gunungan pawuhan, gunungan dharat, and gunungan kutug/bromo.
The grebeg tradition is carried out three times a year. This tradition is held based on the moment of the Islamic calendar.
The first grebeg tradition is Grebeg Poso or Grebeg Syawal or Grebeg Bakdo which is held every 1st of Syawal (Eid al-Fitr). This grebeg ceremony is carried out to honor the holy month of Ramadan and honor the night of glory, namely the night of Lailatul Qadar.
In addition, there is also a Grebeg Besar tradition held on the 10th of Dhulhijjah month. The purpose of this grebeg tradition is to celebrate the second Islamic holiday, Eid al-Adha.
The last grebeg tradition is Grebeg Maulud which is held on the 12th of Rabiul Awal or Maulud. The purpose of this grebeg tradition is to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
The following is a deeper explanation of Grebeg Syawal, Grebeg Maulud, and Grebeg Besar.
1. Grebeg Syawal
The first grebeg parade Yogyakarta is Grebeg Syawal. This Islamic-influenced tradition is held to honor the fasting month, Eid al-Fitr, and the night of Lailatul Qadar.
When Grebeg Syawal is held, Yogyakarta Palace will release the biggest gunungan. The gunungan is called gunungan kakung. The shape of gunungan kakung resembles a real mountain.
The skeleton of gunungan kakung is made of bamboo in the shape of a cone. The bamboo frame is then decorated with food arranged in stages.
2. Grebeg Maulud
The second tradition of grebeg parade Yogyakarta is Grebeg Maulud. Grebeg Maulud is always held every 12th of the month of Rabiul Awal or Maulud.
The Grebeg Maulud ceremony is held to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the series of events at Grebeg Maulud is the holding of a sekaten or night market that can be visited by everyone.
Grebeg Maulud is followed by the sounding of two sets of gamelan sekaten belonging to Yogyakarta Palace for 7 days. The highlight of this Grebeg Maulud event is the reading of the Minutes of the Maulid of the Prophet Muhammad SAW by the Kraton Penghulu.
3. Grebeg Besar
The third tradition of grebeg parade Yogyakarta is Grebeg Besar. Grebeg Besar is held on Eid al-Adha in the month of Dhulhijjah. This grebeg tradition is a form of respect for the great month of Dhulhijjah.
The gunungan that is distributed to the community in Grebeg Besar is different from the gunungan in other grebeg traditions. The gunungan taken by the community at the end of the event is not just ordinary food. Local people believe it is a way to seek blessings from the Sultan.
The part of the gunungan that is successfully taken by the community will be kept at home. You should know that the gunungan is not to be eaten.
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Closing
That’s a little explanation about the grebeg parade Yogyakarta. For those of you who are in Yogyakarta, it doesn’t hurt to enjoy the excitement of the grebeg tradition. If you are interested in witnessing this tradition, you can come directly to the North Square of Yogyakarta.
For those of you who are looking for a Jogja tour agent, you can visit Yogyakarta Tour. With various facilities available, Yogyakarta Tour is ready to accompany you to explore the culture, history, and natural beauty of the city of Jogja.
