Javanese Mitoni Ceremony

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Other Rituals

Brojolan:

Two young yellow gading coconuts (gading means ivory) are carved with drawings of God Kamajaya – the handsome and faithful God - and Goddess Ratih - the beautiful and faithful goddess. The married couple should have also a faithful relation. The baby, a boy or a girl, shall be born safely and handsome as Kamajaya or beautiful as Ratih.

The future father, without seeing the coconuts, selects one coconut and cuts through it using a sharp chopping knife. If the coconut splits in two, the audience would roar: It's a girl. If from the coconut emerges a fountain like coconut milk, the audience would comment: It's a boy.

The other coconut is carried by the mother using a cloth sling to the bed of the future parents. The coconuts and the batik cloths are put on the bed by elder persons, preferebly by the grand mother and the grand father. The couple should sleep the whole night together on this bed. It's an exercise to take care of the baby patiently.

The next morning, the would-be father breaks the coconuts. It means that in life, someone should not be egoistic, helping each other is appreciated.

Angrem

It's a Javanese word for eggs hatching. The couple sits on the pile of batik cloths as if sitting on eggs, so that the baby should be delivered safely on the proper time.

Together they eat the food from the Sajen offering, which has been put on a big stone plate (cobek). They will eat all what they have taken. The big cobek is depicting the baby's placenta.

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  • The Island of Java Java is the fifth-largest island of Indonesia. With a population of 120 million people (65% of the total population in Indonesia) living on an area of 127569 sq. km (7% of the total Indonesian area), it is the most crowded island in the world..
  • Javanese Ceremonies Traditions that are celebrated within the culture of the Indonesian people on Java.
  • Mixed Marriage A mixed marriage is when two people from different cultural backgrounds or different religious traditions or faiths marry.

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