Acculturation between Islamic Teaching and Javanese Tradition in Mubeng Beteng Ritual among Moslems in Yogyakarta Indonesia

Abstract

Yogyakarta Palace is a palace complex located in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It was built by Prince Mangkubumi in 1755, several months after the signing of Giyanti Agreement. The palace is the main seat of the Sultan of Yogyakarta and his family. It serves as a cultural center for the Javanese people and contains a museum that displays the sultanate’s artifacts. One of the rituals in Yogyakarta Palace is Mubeng Beteng. It is an annual event for celebrating the Javanese new year. This event has become a tradition since hundreds years ago. In this ritual, some people in Yogyakarta take part and all of the participants walk together around Yogyakarta Palace fortress without speaking anything. This act symbolizes the reflection of self about what we have done in one year. This research is a field research using an anthropological approach. It is used to see the background, purpose, and ritual practices of mubeng beteng for Moslem society in Yogyakarta. This study earns two main findings. The first is that the Moslem community of Yogyakarta interpret the mubeng beteng ritual as a spiritual and cultural acculturation and the second is that the acculturation form between Islam and Javanese culture in the mubeng beteng ritual is reflected in such things (a) mubeng beteng ritual is like tawaf in Kaaba, because both are equally filled with praying and meditation and (b) in the mubeng beteng ritual, the symbol of leader is Kyai Tunggul Wulung flag to be believed to be taken from the cloth of Kaaba in Mecca. These are forms of acculturation between Islam and Javanese culture in the Mubeng Beteng ritual