събота, 8 август 2015 г.


THE CHILD’S FIRST STEPS - INDONESIAN WAY. “TEDAK SITEN” – THE SEVEN COLOURS OF WISDOM
 
~ Magdalena Gigova ~
Part of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

T
he rituals of the more than 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia entangle the multiform and colorful culture of the exotic country. At the residence of Ambassador Bunyan Saptomo two girls made their first steps with the help of a Javanese ritual.
In difference with the Bulgarian first steps here more important from whether the child will take the coin or the earphones, is the message for successful life with the advices of the parents and respect to the earth, feeding us. The ceremony passed through several symbolic phases and in each one was coded a deep sense. The parents, dressed in Javanese national costumes have  found it rather difficult to supply the necessary for the ritual cage made out of bamboo sticks, and the whole female staff of the Embassy participated in the decoration.

According to the laws of the ritual “tedaksiten” before the child makes her/his choice, the parents accompany him/her to step on seven bowls, filled with rice in different color. Each one of them is a symbol of a human characteristic, which the little one has to learn to control or develop during his/her future life.
The dish of white rice shows that the conscience of the baby is still a blanc piece of paper and he/she is sinless. The red dish is a symbol of rage, which can be subdued. The yellow bowl presents the wisdom, which is being piled during the years. The green one is the generosity, which must be shown by the person in the future. The blue one is the patience which has to be learned. The last, purple tray symbolizes perfection.
After touching with their bare feet each different color, the little girls waited for the fathers to raise a small ladder, and they, accompanied by their mothers had to climb it. This symbolizes the parents’ support, which will accompany the children during their whole life. The last trial is a tray with sand, in which the children have to make a few steps. The imitation of a dance has also a hidden meaning – the future diligent work, which will ensure their living.



In the adorned with flowers and ribbons bamboo cage the relatives have already arranged CAREFULLY SELECTED OBJECTS - money, jewels, electronics, earphones, books, rice, cotton. The same as in the Bulgarian custom, of great importance for the future of the child is what he or she will choose. If the child grabs a book, its whole life will be dedicated to accumulating knowledge and if takes a jewel or a banknote it will become rich and very successful person. The bamboo construction, which is a copy of an Indonesian cage for cocks, symbolizes entering into life.
One of the girls did not want to choose anything of the scattered lustrous objects and started crying in the arms of her mother. After waiting awhile the guests decided that this is a sign the she will become a singer. But the other one showed character and liked a banknote and later a calculator. The ritual “tedaksiten” requires the fathers to sprinkle over the guests rose petals and small coins, in order their child to make a career and to become a generous person, ready to help the others. Each one of the guests bent and took a coin for luck.
And the girls in unison with the tradition were clad in completely new dresses and shoes. The hidden sense of changing the clothes is to make their parents be proud with them and their successes in life. In order the ceremony to be effective is necessary the good energy of those present, their blessing and benevolence of Gods.
The culmination of the ritual is cutting of something like a rice cake with intricate architecture. It turned out that “tumpeng” as is the name of the dish, is saturated with symbolism. It is an invariable part of every occasion, notwithstanding the case. It is in a form of a cone, and the dishes with which it is served also have coded message. The cone expresses the hopes for prosperity and capturing peaks, therefore exactly this form is obligatory. During the ages “tumpeng” has been made with white rice, but in the recent years the yellow rice is preferred as more attractive, because the color is considered to be more impressive and grandeur. It is boiled with cocoa milk and contains a lot of spices – carnation, cardamom, lemon grass. It is obligatory to be served on beautifully arranged green leaves.
The cone is the Indonesian synonym of “the horn of plenty”. And the philosophy of the rice is that in a certain moment of life, everything goes to God. The base of the dish is round – meaning the circle of life, but from the point of view of continuity. At more solemn occasion the dish has several stories – as the phases in life and stairs of success. The rice is accompanied with several kinds of food, also saturated with lot of symbolism. The chicken meat is a sign of zealous work, but if a whole cock is cooked, the message is changed towards annihilation of the human arrogance. Eggs are an obligatory addition to the “tumpeng” as an endless circle of life. Each one of the vegetables also has a hidden meaning. The spinach is peace, bean sprites – growth, green beans – long life. The bright colorful vegetables symbolize happiness, but the most positive is the combination of all of them. It is called “urab” and symbolizes the unity in diversity, of which Indonesia is proud.
Ambassador Bunyan Saptomo together with his wife Aprilia cut “tumpeng” and the first bites were given to the little participants in the ceremony. And the guests enjoyed the traditional Indonesian specialties, including the strange fruit “snake skin”, the cover of which reminds reptile.

“NYABUTAN”
The first touch with the mother Earth
On the island of Bali for the first step of the baby on the Mother Earth is invited the family priest (the religion there is a more special it is a more liberal kind of Hinduism) and present gifts to the God Sun and to the Five elements. “Nyabutan” is something like baptism, because according to the local religion until its sixth month the child is god. In the family temple the altar is filled with gifts – traditional roasted small pigs, corn, fruits, wheat, water, flowers, banknotes, and boiled duck. The priest is adorned with so many necklaces as he manages to bear on his skinny neck, and on his head is a golden crown – hybrid between turban, cylinder and tiara.The atmosphere at the ceremony has nothing to do with the tense restriction at the churches. The priest mumbles his blessings the guests are sitting with their newest clothes, exchanging gossips, laughing.

The only one, who is taking the ritual seriously, is a sweet little girl of nearly six months. She DOES NOT STOP SMILING IN THE HANDS OF HER MOTHER and father, who hand her over to each other as a priceless bundle. The ceremony, of course, is not a baptism, but a blessing of a baby, who has become half a year old and already, can touch the earth with feet. The Balinese consider the children below 6 months old for gods, messengers of the heaven, who must not touch the floor. Therefore the babies are cradled and are object of a tender respect. If, while in this blessed condition, the baby, God forbid, dies, a solemn cremation is organized, because it has never been a human being, but something more superior. But when the baby becomes over six months, it comes down from the pedestal and enters the bosom of the human kind. 
The priest blesses with holy water first the nut and then the girl. The “wooden baby” is rolled on the floor exactly on the spot, where the real one must touch the ground for the first time. This is done in order to distract the evil demons. Thus they will attack the doll and avoid the real child. The parents of the baby rotate her THREE TIMES OVER AN UTENSIL WITH WATE repeating the circle – birth, life, death.
The priest is saying blessings as if in trans, he brings a huge golden bell, sprinkles with water the forehead of the little girl and she is smiling to him. Her brothers and sisters crowd around her. The main body of the family places the gifts in front of the altar. Meanwhile the courtyard of the temple starts resembling a picnic - distributing snacks, water, commenting their new clothes, talking.
After this all the relatives leave for the sea side. They gather around fires, say prayers for long and happy life and later drop on the wave’s boats made from leaves and flowers to swim towards eternity.




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