Do you ver heard about coming of age rituals in Indonesian’s culture? Yep, you’re right. Rituals to maturity are usually only performed by tribes with certain customs.
For modern society today, this ritual towards maturity is neither urgent nor very important. However, a number of traditional rituals seem to save cultural values that are loaded with the values of Indonesia’s ancestors, you know.
Remarkably, a handful of traditional traditions and rituals have remained hereditary for generations. In fact, these traditions are deliberately maintained well and guaranteed authenticity by the traditional leaders of each generation, assisted by the people. Wow, what a beauty that can’t be avoided right?
Well, one of the hereditary rituals is a ritual towards maturity in Indonesia. Curious what rituals exist in our beloved country? Come on, read carefully!
Fahombo
Have you ever heard of the Fahombo tradition? Okay, maybe under the name “Fahombo” you will say that you never knew this traditional ceremony.
However, if you know the meaning of Fahombo yourself, you are guaranteed to know since a long long time ago, because this culture is one of the famous cultures in Indonesia.
Yep, no doubt, Fahombo or commonly called the Stone Hombo is a tradition from the Nias Tribe, where this tradition is in the form of traditional sports.
Participants of this traditional ceremony are required to jump over the composition of the stone building which has a height of 2 meters with a thickness of about 40 centimeters. Wow, how tall!
Well, Fahombo itself is a ritual of maturing Nias people that is performed specifically for young men who are growing up. Fahombo or Batu Hombo is an attraction for tourists when visiting here, you know. Really proud right?
In the past, the Nias tribe youths who had successfully jumped over the tall stone structure would have been recognized as adult men. This recognition is very important for the survival of the young Nias people, because if they are considered to be adult men, they can already have the right to join as part of the army for war and are allowed to get married.
This Fahombo tradition starts from the age of 10 years. Fahombo is considered seriously and important in the adat of the Nias tribe.
Later, boys who will follow Fahombo to get their maturity status will be dressed in Nias warriors’ clothing. This dress is not carelessly worn you know, but rather to signify that they are ready to fight and are ready to bear the responsibilities as adult men.
Metatah
We are sure you don’t often hear the rituals of maturity in Indonesia on this one. Not surprisingly, because the term “Metatah” itself is taken from the Balinese language. Actually, if you know the meaning, we’re sure you’ve heard of it!
Metatah itself in Balinese is a tradition of cutting teeth. This typical Balinese maturity ceremony is not only called Metatah, you know.
Some other names such as Mepandes and Mesangih are also often used in the mention of this tooth-cutting ceremony. Metatah itself is one of well-known Indonesian cultural activities, in Bali of course. No wonder, this tradition becomes one of top traditions in Bali.
Strictly speaking, this social culture in Bali is a religious ceremony performed by adherents of Hinduism in Bali when a child is growing up from his teenage years.
Not only means as a ceremony towards maturity, but Metatah is also often interpreted as a means of paying debt from parents to their beloved children. According to the Hindu-Balinese tradition, the payment of this debt takes the form of removing the six bad traits embedded in human beings.
At the time of Metatah, the ritual to be performed during this ceremony was to cut 6 teeth located at the top in the form of fangs. The trusted purpose of this tooth-cutting ceremony is to reduce the bad nature of the child.
Typically, Metatah will be carried out in conjunction with the implementation of Ngaben ceremonies, wedding ceremonies, Ngeresi, and carried out on certain days against the concerned.
Supitan
Well, we are sure you are very familiar with this coming of age rituals in Indonesian’s culture. In fact, it could be that those of you who are reading this perform the Supitan ceremony.
Yep, that’s right. The Supitan ceremony is generally better known to the public as a circumcision or circumcision ceremony. This ceremony is specifically for boys who are growing up and is a ritual that is obligatory for adherents of Islam. For the Javanese themselves, Supitan is a traditional ceremony that cannot be separated from the Javanese community.
Based on Javanese customs, Supitan is usually done by holding a large party, something like a wedding. Wow, so awesome! Actually, it is not always as big as a wedding and consists of various series.
This depends on the status and position of the boy who is about to be circumcised. The Supitan ceremony for the Sultan’s children consists of quite a large variety of sequences.
For example, one day before the event a super cool traditional performance will be held. The show will feature the gamelan game Gangsa Slendro and Pelog. Later, there will also be pekobongan, a kind of room and tetuwuhan or leaves and banana bunches. This plant will signify fertility.
Well, that’s all top three about coming of age rituals in Indonesian’s culture. Which one have you ever done? Whether you have tried one of the traditional rituals above or not, clearly we all have an obligation to preserve it. And the question is, how to preserve Indonesian culture? Simple solution: you have to be proud with what our country have. Let’s spread goodness!
