Story About All by Siti Mahmudah Azzahra

The Legend Of Kasada Ceremony from Indonesia

According to legend, the Kasada ceremony dates back to the time of Majapahit Kingdom, during the reign of King Brawijaya. The queen of the kingdom gave birth to a daughter named Rara Anteng who married Jaka Seger, a young man from the Brahma Caste.
These two were among those who field eastward from Majapahit as the religion of Muslim expanded into Java during the 15 th century. Settling in the Tengger range, Jaka Seger and Rara Anteng ruled the region jointly under the title Purbawasesa Mangkurating Tengger. The word ' Tengger ' itself is said to have been derived from a combination of the last syllables of the two rules names : ' Teng and ' Ger '.
Another meaning of the word Tengger is derived from ' Tengering Budi Luhur ' , meaning eternal peace and high morality. For some years, the region flourished under the leadership of Jaka Seger and Rara Anteng, yet the king and queen were unhappy for they had no children. They decided therefore, to climb to the top of Mt. Bromo to pray for help. Moved by the depth of their faith, the God of Mt. Bromo assured them of offspring, but with condition that the youngest child must be sacrificed into the crater of the volcano. After giving birth 25 children, the time came for Rara Anteng to keep her promise. Since they were reluctant however, they were threatened with catastrophe. At last, they were forced to comply with the God's wishes and their 25 th child, named Kesuma, was thrown into the crater.
As the child was sacrificed, a voice was heard to echo " My Beloved Brothers and Sister i have been sacrificed by our parents to appear before Hyang Widi Wasa. Be in peace and live prosperously, never forgetting to worship. As a reminder, i ask you to perform an annual ceremony on the 14 th day of Kesada at the time of the half moon to bring an offering of crops and livestock.



Reog Ponorogo Dance from Indonesia


One of famous for the folkloric dance in Indonesia is " Reog Ponorogo ". In existence for over 100 years, the dance's focal point is a huge tiger's head decorated with over 1.500 peacock feathers. Originally collected from molter peacocks in the forest, today these feathers are easily ordered from India.
This heavy mask, weighing over 50 kg, is worn over the dancer's head. With the mask in palace, acrobatic and sometimes the addition of another dancer balanced a top the tinger's head, Requires a very strong dancer.
A Reong Ponorogo group is comprised of approximately 30 members, consisting of dancers, musicians and supporters. Having become the most popular dance throughout Java, it is now even performed on other Indonesia proviences.
The dance, depicts the story of the King's trip from Bantarangin to Kediri to marry Dewi Songgolangit. On the way, he is stopped by a gang of tigers and peacocks led by Singobarong. The king defeats them, consequently, they join his troupe and walk in the procession to assist the king in his proposal of marriage to Dewi Songgolangit. The tiger and peacocks are represented by the great mask worn by the main dancer. In an effort to preserve this magical dance, a national Reog Ponorogo festival is held annually to welcome the Javanese new year, known as Grebeg Syuro traditional ceremony, the Reog Ponorogo and other traditional dances can be seen during festival.