KUDA KEPANG

KUDA KEPANG OF THE ANOTHER TRADITION FROM JAVA

Kuda Lumping (literally flat horse; also known as Jaran Kepang in Javanese) is a traditional Javanese dance depicting a group of horsemen. Dancers "ride" horses made from woven bamboo and decorated with colorful paints and cloth. Generally, the dance portrays troops riding horses, but another type of Kuda Lumping performance also incorporates trances and magic tricks. When the "possessed" dancer is performing the dance in trance conditions, he can display unusual abilities, such as eating glass and resistance to the effects of whipping or hot coals. Although the dance is native to Java, Indonesia, it also performed by Javanese immigrants in Suriname, Malaysia and Singapore.

 he origin of Kuda Lumping is uncertain. Two main hypotheses have been proposed. The first suggests that Kuda Lumping may have arisen out of Diponegoro's war against the Dutch colonial forces, as a ritual reenactment of battles. The second argues that it is based on Mataram-era troops riding against the Dutch. Kuda Lumping is known under different names in different areas. While Kuda Lumping is the most common name in West Java, in Central Java it is known as Jaran Kepang; in Bali, it is known as Sang Hyang Jaran.In Bali Sanghyang dance refer to the type of dance involving trance by spirit identified as hyang. Kuda Lumping may be performed in celebration of a special event, such as a boy's circumcision or rite of passage.It may also be performed as entertainment, in a busker style. It is generally performed in a cordoned-off area, with the audience separated from the dancers. Kuda Lumping is traditionally performed by a group of men drawn from the local community; this group can number from 2 to The performers mount rattan horses and dance while traditional instruments such as the angklung, gongs, and dog-dog drums are played. This portion of the performance ends when a dancer enters a trance, which is traditionally said to be caused by spirit possession.In Sang Hyang Jaran,

the audience may participate by forming a chorus and singing. During their trances, the dancers may pretend to eat grass or drink water, while another performer or shaman uses a whip to direct them. In some performances, dancers may walk on coals or eat glass or fire, which can cause various injuries. The dancers also interact with the audience; in busker performances they may ask for money. In some areas the dancers serve as oracles to deliver prophecies. After awakening from their trances, performers claim not to remember anything done while performing Dancers perform using rattan horses, generally colourful and decorated with beads and sequins. Adults use larger horses than children. Children's horses may also be cut from bamboo mats.

Performers wear colorful clothes and may occasionally dress as soldiers. The costume may also include small bells strung around the ankle. In comparison to the shaman, the dancers' costumes are more feminized. Henry Spiller suggests that Kuda Lumping represents spiritual power and masculine virility, which is "wild and uncontrolled ... yet ultimately a good thing".Max Richter notes that the erratic movements of the "feminized" dancers may "draw on ideas about the subordinate 'irrational' female", while the slower, more deliberate movements of the shaman "may be seen as masculine and potent".

 However, he considers this secondary to the conflicts of science versus magic, and good versus bad. He also notes that it serves as a way for young boys to release energy in a non-violent manner Kuda Lumping is widely popular. But, individual observer opinions vary. Some view it as being related to Satan and thus evil, while others see it as being a good influence. A shift in meaning, from a mainly spiritual ritual to entertainment, has been noted. Kuda Lumping has been used as the basis for a dangdut song of the same name tags : "kuda,kepang",of,another,tradition,from,java,indonesian,culture,iwansky82,the adventure

THE EXOCTIC REOG PONOROGO

Reog is a traditional Indonesian dance form. There are many types of Reogs in Indonesia, but the most notable ones are Reog Ponorogo (East Java) and Reog Sunda (West Java). Although both share a similar name, there is no connection nor similar theme among these traditions. Reog Ponorogo seems to be the kind of dance that demonstrate physical strength and extravagant lion-peafowl mask and costumes, while Reog Sunda is a lot more like a traditional musical comedy and dance.

   

reog is a traditional dance that become the main identity for Ponorogo Regency. Reog National Festival is held every years along the anniversary of Ponorogo regency and Grebeg Suro celebration. Reog dance is also staged full moon nightly in paseban, Ponorogo town square. Reog told about the struggle for a prince who will propose to a beautiful princess. Reog Ponorogo tells the story of a mythical battle between the King of Ponorogo and the magical lion-like creature called Singa Barong. Singa Barong is a large mask usually made of tiger's or leopard's head skin, upon the mask attached a large fan adorned with peafowl  feathers. The Singa Barong mask was notoriously heavy, the dancer of Singo Barong bear the mask about 30 – 40 kg weight and supported by the strength of their teeth

The leading figures in Reog Ponorogo performance includes:

   1. Klono Sewandono, A men in regal attire wearing mask in proud and pompous dance, play the role as the King of Ponorogo

   2. Bujang Anom, rough youthful men wearing red mask, they performed acrobatic dances and sometimes also involved trance.

   3. Jatil, the youthful handsome horsemen riding horses made of weaved bamboo, similar to Kuda Lumping dance. Today Jatil usually performed by female dancers.

   4. Warok, played as Singa Barong, the mythical creature. The one that allowed to performed this mask dance is called warok. A warok is the hororary title of local hero or strongman of the village that possessed both exceptional spiritual and phyisical strength. The dance itself is demonstration of phyisical strength of the dancers.

Reog Ponorogo usually consists of three sets of dances; each dance is performed by several dancers:

   1. The first dance is the opening dance, performed by Bujang Anom, male dancers wearing black costumes. The costume describe rough men with intimidating moustache and other masculinity symbols.

   2. The second dance is the Jaran Kepang dance performed by Jatil; it is originally performed by a gemblak, a handsome and youthful teenage boy wearing colourful costumes. Today the female dancers were usually played this role.

   3. The third dance is the main attraction of the show; it is performed by all the Reog dancers. The warok as the main male dancer, wearing a large and heavy lion mask, dances in the centre of the stage while the other dancers dance around him. To demonstrate the warok's extraordinary strength Jatil or female dancers riding on top of lion mask and being carried around.

The dance describe Klono Sewandono the king of Ponorogo on his journey to Kediri to seek the hands of Princess Songgo Langit. On his journey he was attacked by a vicious monster called Singa Barong, a mythical lion with peacock on its head. Historians trace the origin of Reog Ponorogo as the satire on the incompetence of Majapahit  rulers during the end of the empire. It describe the innate Ponorogo liberty and its opposition on centralist Majapahit rule. The lion represent the king of Majapahit while the peafowl represent the queen, it was suggested that the king was incompetent and always being controlled by his queen. The beautiful, youthful and almost effeminate horsemen describe the Majapahit cavalry that have lost their manliness.

 Reog Ponorogo dancers traditionally performed in a trance state. Reog Ponorogo displays the traditional Kejawen Javanese spiritual teaching. Next to physical requirement, the dancers—especially the Warok—required to follow strict rules, rituals and exercises, both physical and spiritual. One of the requirement is abstinence, warok is prohibited to indulged and involved in sexual relationship with women, yet having sex with boy age eight to fifteen is allowed. The boy lover is called Gemblak and usually kept by Warok in their household under the agreement and compensation to the boy's family. Warok can be married with a woman as their wive, but they may kept a gemblak too. This led to Warok-Gemblakan relationship that similar to pederastic tradition of ancient Greece. Anybody who is in touch with the traditional way of life in Ponorogo, knows that there are these older men called warok who, instead of having sex with their wives, have sex with younger boys. What Warok and Gemblak did is homosexual act, yet they never identify themself as homosexuals.

Today this Warok-Gemblakan practice is discouraged by local religious authorities and being shunned through public moral opposition. As the result today Reog Ponorogo performance rarely features Gemblak boys to performed as Jatil horsemen, their position were replaced by girls. Although today this practice might probably still survived and done in discreet manner.

article from wikidia

tags : the,exoctic,reog,ponorogo,tradition,from,java,indonesian,culture,iwansky82,the adventure

welcome to the sebatu village

Bali is not only the beach, lake or mountain might serve as a tourist destination, a village can be an attractive tourist location because of its uniqueness. So it is with the villages and Pujung Sebatu which are often used as a tourist destination famous for its handicrafts carvings local community.

Not infrequently the foreign tourists coming to the village and local level and Pujung Sebatu is for the purpose of viewing and purchase a variety of arts and crafts community that the majority are made of wood materials such as animal-shaped sculptures, other antique-shaped, flowers, etc.. Community in this village was incredible because the majority have a qualified art so that the blood of ancestors to future generations up to now a variety of artistic legacy is still maintained and preserved.

Farming and Sculptor

 

communities residing in the village and hamlet Pujung Sebatu have multiple livelihoods, ie, other than as a farmer as well as well as a sculptor. Is the main attraction for visitors who come for when visiting this Pujung Sebatu and along the road leading into the village will be found many sculptors are busy chatting or talking while they do not get out of hand carved wood with a small knife.

Appeal as a sculptor that has produced various types of sculpture, the more equipped with the tourist sites of Balinese Hindus worship places belonging to the ancient, the Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu (for some reason why the name of the temple in Sebatu similar to the temple which is in the Pura Gunung Kawi Tampaksiring ). In the neighborhood there Pura Gunung Kawi Sebatu springs which are often used for prayer when the temple of Hindus, as well as baths and for the daily needs of the surrounding communities.

Been to Village Sebatu

The village itself is located in the northern village of Tegallalang, which is also included in the District Tegallalang. While Pujung is a hamlet located in the Village Sebatu. Sebatu can be reached from the village of Ubud district with a distance of about 12 km or 20-30 minutes away. While from Denpasar is about 38 km, and is about 33 miles if taken from Gianyar Regency

tags : welcome,to,the,sebatu,village,bali,tourisme,travelling,indonesian,culture,iwansky82,the adventure

the legian beach

welcome to the legian beach

 The second beach is located in the north of the famous Kuta Beach. So no wonder, the atmosphere and the atmosphere is quite similar to Kuta Beach visitors though certainly not as much as in Kuta Beach. But that's where the excess because the atmosphere is not too crowded so visitors who really want to unwind and relax then it can find the right atmosphere and right on Legian and Seminyak.

 
Village AgricultureAt first the Legian area is an agrarian village. Although the location of his village by the beach, but the majority of residents work as farmers. And only a small proportion of people who worked as a fisherman. "Fate" and then change when the Legian Beach in Kuta Beach a growing number of visitors so Legian gets luberan visitors. The two also helped clean up the village and provides many facilities for travelers.So, now, you are visiting to Legian and Seminyak can run at Kuta Like the activity, such as swimming, surfing, playing ball on the beach, sun bathing on white sand, and enjoy the panorama at sunset (sunset). Thus, visitors can not only enjoy the beauty of the sea Legian and Seminyak, also could also taste the favorite dishes that can be selected as in Kuta.In fact, restaurants and cafes are now most famous Seminyak. Some cafes are often held a splashy party. Interestingly, in all the way up the ranks to the Seminyak beach restaurant which offers dishes that tastes mak nyus, from low price to the drain bag (most people), from the traditional dishes to international cuisine. Hence the street was nicknamed the street eating.Bungy Jumpin

This is a vehicle to travel adrenaline, which is free to jump from the tower as high as 45 meters. There was no safety net when you jump rope unless specifically tied to your ankle. Currently, only one vehicle operates Bungee Jumping in Bali, namely AJ Hawckett located on Seminyak beach, right next to Double Six Club.There are three choices for the jump time, ie, noon, afternoon and evening. Jump in the afternoon or evening, you can both enjoy the beautiful scenery along the coast of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak. If you want to get a photo of yourself when flying with blue sky background, jump in the daytime. If you want red sky background, jump towards the sunset.

 
AccessFrom Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are within walking distance
the article from http://bali.panduanwisata.com/



tags : welcome,to,the,beach,paradise,island,bali,tourisme,travelling,indonesian,culture

LAKE TOBA

LAKE TOBA IS THE LARGEST LAKE IN INDONESIA

Lake Toba is the largest lake in Indonesia. Lake Toba is located in several counties, among others Kab.Simalungun, Kab.Samosir, North Kab.Tapanuli, District Hubang Hasundutan, Kab.Karo, and Kab.Dairi, North Sumatra.

The lake, which has an area of ​​100 kmx30 miles outside of beauty that has biasa.Selain surrounded by beautiful hills and cool, the lake is an island in the middle named Samosir Island. Samosir Island has an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level. In the middle of Lake Toba, on Samosir Island that there is a popular natural tourist attraction, the lake above the lake (Lake and Lake Aek Sidihoni Natonang);

historical attractions in the tomb complex in the Village of King Sidabutar Tomok; and tours of the complex architecture of traditional houses Batak Toba Samosir. In Parapat, the visitors who want to visit the island of Samosir can ride a freight ferry depart every hour to the village of Tomok, Samosir.

Toba Lake was formed by a stupendous prehistoric volcanic explosion. The eruption was 75.000 years ago and leaving a spectacular caldera with wonderful landscapes. The explosion with Volcanic Exposivity Index of 8 caused volcanic winter for many years which decimated almost all living things on earth. The resulting 630 km square of land mass in the center of the lake, now known as Samosir Island, is the world’s fifth largest island lake. It is also arguably the world’s largest island within an island.

This large lake has magical and cosmological value, because it is believed as a place of indwelling Namborru (seven ancestral goddess of Batak Tribe). When people want to hold the event Tribe Batak peoples around the lake, they must first ask permission to Namborru. As in the celebration of the Feast of the People of Lake Toba is annually held, some of the rituals performed in advance as a form of homage to the ancestors.

Toba Lake is the highest and deepest crater lake in the world with a depth of over 450 meter. Lying at 906 meter above sea level, the climate in the Toba area is refreshingly cool. Also, the largest volcanic lake in Southeast Asia with gigantic size of 1.265 square km, 90 km long with a coastline of 285 km. The volcanic soils are remarkably fertile and the Toba highlands have been inhabited for centuries.

Lake Toba has very beautiful scenery, if you come to Indonesia to make sure toba is on the list of your schedule.

what you can get in toba??
Thing to Do: Shopping Traditional Craft,Swimming, Fishing, Rafting, Water Skiing, Speed Boat Trips, Power Boating,
And there are so many ways to get there, you can trip with Public Transpot, Rental Car, Bus (4 hours driving or less than 180 km from Medan City)

article from:wikipia.com picture by :google.com




tags : lake,toba,is the largestlakeinindonesia,medan,samosir,tourisme,travelling,indonesian,culture,iwansky82,the adventure

crater in bandung

Ciwedey the best beatiful white crater in bandung

Regency Bandung has many resorts which offer beautiful scenery and interesting legends. One is the District Ciwidey located in the south of Bandung regency. In this area there are interesting tourist attraction is Crater White.

White crater is a crater lake of Mount Patuha with a height of 2434 meters above sea level with temperatures between 8-22 ° C. On top of that there is a crater Patuha Currently, when the mean low tide in Sundanese, which is in the west and below the crater White with a height of 2194 meters above sea level. Both craters were formed by eruptions that occurred at about X and XII centuries ago. White Crater is located about 46 km from Bandung or 35 miles from the capital, Bandung regency, Soreang, headed Ciwidey.

Legend White crater

Patuha said to have originated from the name Old Man or “Patua”. Local people often refer to Mount Sepuh. Formerly the local people consider the region Patuha and White crater as a haunted area, no one dared to touch or to get there. Angkernya presumably because birds have a flyover above the crater will die.

Mystery White crater lake beauty was revealed in 1837 by a German-born Dutch botanist researcher, Dr. Junghuhn Franz Wilhelm (1809-1864) who conducted research in this area. As a scientist, Junghuhn stories just do not trust the local community. As he traveled through the wilderness study Patuha, he finally found a beautiful crater lake. As a volcanic crater, from the lake bursts out of the lava flows of gas and it smells of sulfur and a nose piercing. From it emerged that a very high sulfur content which is why birds are reluctant to fly across the top surface of the crater lake White.

Because the sulfur content in the crater lake is very high, during the reign of the Dutch had built the plant with the name Zwavel sulfur Ontgining ‘White crater’. Then in the Japanese era, the business was continued under the name White crater Kenzanka Gokoya Ciwidey directly under the control of the Japanese military.

Around the area there are a few crater White ancestral graves, among other things Keep your Grandmother’s grave Satru, Eyang Sadena cavity, Head Grandmother, Grandmother Ngabai, Barabak Grandmother, Grandmother basin, and Grandmother Jambrong. One of the top of the Peak Patuha Kapok, supposedly a meeting place of the ancestors, led by Grandmother Keep Satru. That said, this place is magical at times seen a bunch of white fluffy sheep called sheep lukutan by society.

White Crater Lake has a typical and unique. The water in the crater lake may change color, sometimes colored bluish green apple when the sun and the weather is bright, sometimes also brown milk. Most commonly seen are white water with a thick fog over the crater surface. In addition to the surface of the crater, which is white, sand and rocks around it were predominantly white, therefore it is called White crater crater.

To get there, visitors can pass through the toll from Jakarta Cipularang continued toward the exit toll Soreang Kopo headed south to the town Ciwidey. Approximately 20-30 minutes from the city Ciwidey visible sign of entry into the entrance of Attraction White crater at the left side of the road. To get to the White crater from the entrance gate area attractions crater White suggested using a vehicle, do not walk because the road is slightly uphill and quite a distance, which is about 5.6 km or about 10-15 minutes drive. Private vehicles can langung toward the available parking area not far from the crater. While visitors with a large entourage that use bus or public transport can use a special vehicle in the parking lot near the entrance gate to reach the crater from the entrance. Small road conditions and uphill is not possible to pass a big bus type vehicle or being.

Public transport to Ciwidey from Bandung can be found in Terminal Gardens Kalapa and Leuwi length. After arriving in the city Ciwidey then proceed with using the rural transportation purposes patengan Situ. Rural transportation that led to this patengan Situ across attractions in the area of Plantation Ciwidey Strawberry, White crater, Ranca Upas, hot water & swimming pool Cimanggu. To be able to explore and enjoy the natural beauty surrounding the area Ciwidey and it’s not enough just one day

article from/www.indonesiantourguide.net

tags : ciwidey,the,best,beautiful,white,crater,in,bandung,west,java,tourisme,travelling,indonesian,culture,