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LABUHAN ALIT

During his reign, Panembahan Senopati was in love affair with Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. This authority of the South Sea was willing to help Panembahan Senopati in all of his problems and Panembahan was requested to give offerings to Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. This is the legend and the belief of the local community.
The Commemoration of the Sultan Coronation
Labuhan Alit is part of the commemoration of the Sultan coronation. The ceremony is started in Parang Kusumo beach and ended in the Merapi and Lawu Mountains at the same time.
The offering to the sea (labuhan) was initiated by Panembahan Senopati as being grateful to the continuation of Mataram Kingdom and to pray for the safety of the Sultan of Yogyakarta Kingdom and Yogyakarta people.
Labuhan comes from the word labuh that means to float offerings to the sea. Labuhan Alit that used to be done twice a year is changed to once a year by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X; only on the commemoration day of his coronation. Labuhan Agung is done once every eight years.
The Place and the Implied Meaning
The ceremony of Labuhan Ageng is done based on Dal year, thus it is only done once in eight years. The goods are divided into four to be floated in Parangkusumo beach, and to be offered in Merapi Mountain, Lawu Mountain and Dlepih Kahyangan. Those four locations were selected based on the consideration that those places were used by the kings of Mataram (especially Panembahan) to isolate himself and to communicate with the spirits.
On the other hand, Labuhan Alit is done every year. This ceremony usually does not include Dlepih Kahyangan as the offering place. Local community has the belief that Ratu Kidul will get angry if they stop giving the offerings; genies and evil spirits will be sent to spread diseases and calamities.
Two main places, namely Pantai Kidul and Merapi Mountain, are symbols of harmony between human being and nature. The South Ocean is element of water and Merapi Mountain as element of fire; a wisdom to harmonize human being and their dwelling places.
Procession and the Goods to be Offered
The labuhan is started with the ritual of pasrah penampi (handing over offerings) from the representative of Yogyakarta Kingdom to the Regent of Bantul in Kretek Sub-District hall. After that, the articles of the offerings are brought to Parangkusumo hall to be checked out before they are handed over to the caretaker of Parangkusumo beach, as well as to be prayed. The praying is done is a certain location in Parangkusumo beach where there is a stone that is believed to be the meeting place of Panembahan and Ratu Kidul.
After saying the prayer, one of the offerings containing Sultan's used clothes, fingernail, and hair of one year period is planted at the corner of the place while spreading flowers and burning incense.
The rests of the offerings consisting of nine sheets of clothes with different styles and colors, money as much as five hundred rupiah placed on them, special oil, incense, some kinds of dried flower, residue of water used to wash sacred weapons, and traditional cookies are carried on a litter passing through the pathway leading to the seaside on which both sides are bordered with poles.
The articles are then floated to the sea. When the offerings are sent back to the shore by the waves, people rush to get them. Those articles are believed to bring luck. YogYES that had the opportunity to see the ceremony considered it one of the appeals of the ceremony itself.
The King servants then leave for Merapi Mountain. Before labuhan, the articles in the forms of nine rice cones and one uluwetu huge cone are brought from Palemsari village to the house of the Merapi Mountain caretaker to be prayed and stayed a night.
The procession of the offering is accompanied with a dancing fragment entitled Wahyuning Mongsokolo Labuhan, traditional arts such as jathilan, uyon-uyon and karawitan. In the following night, there will be performance of leather puppet entitled Semar Bangun Kahyangan. In the next early morning the offerings are brought to the second post at the southern part of Merapi Mountain foot. Merapi offering giving is done at the same time with the one done in Lawu Mountain in Karanganyar, Central Java.
You can check with our updated calendar of events to see the ceremony.When you have the opportunity to see this ceremony, you will get spiritual experience in addition to awareness that the existence of human being and nature is inseparable; a fusion of culture and religion that touch your soul.