It’s not every day you see hundreds of residents from two different villages at each other’s throat for 10 minutes, followed by everyone laughing together as if nothing had happened.
In fact, it only occurs every seven months (based on the Javanese calendar of 210-day cycles), on a Tuesday, in the wuku (seven-day period) of dukut, one of such 30 periods in the calendar, to be more precise. This ancient ritual still takes place in Central Java, and goes by the name of dukutan.
Dukutan consists of a full-on brawl between two neighboring villages, which originated in the legend of a warrior couple living on the slopes of Mt. Lawu near Surakarta also known as Solo, Central Java, centuries ago.
As the story goes, Narotama, the invincible chief minister of the Kahuripan Kingdom, set up a village after wandering through the wilderness.
An invulnerable young woman named Nyai Roso Putih happened to live in a village opposite Narotama’s new settlement.
When Narotama and Nyai Roso Putih finally met, the two couldn’t help but fight each other, dragging their communities into a fierce battle almost daily.
The protracted feud took a turn of its own as the two young belligerents fell in love with each other. The couple soon realized their mutual affection would bring peace to both villages. So they tied the knot and were both installed as chiefs of Nglurah village, and named Kyai Menggung and Nyai Menggung.
This legend, which has been passed on from generation to generation, has given birth to the mass fighting ritual of dukutan observed annually by residents of Nglurah, Tawangmangu district, Karanganyar regency, Surakarta. Two hamlets in Nglurah, Nglurah Lor in the north and Nglurah Kidul in the south, take part in this ritual.
Before the mass fight, villagers prepare offerings such as vegetables and corn, which are cooked on firewood stoves and cannot under any circumstance be eaten. The offerings are then brought to the house of village elder Parto Sentono, to receive his blessing.
Why Parto Sentono? Because locals believe he is one of Kyai Menggung’s direct descendants, therefore should be responsible for making sure the tradition lives on.
So, on the eve of the ritual, which took place in mid September this year, the 70-year-old was meditating in his room at home, begging the ruler of the universe for a safe and smooth dukutan this year.
“Dukutan is a manifestation of our gratitude to the Almighty God for the health, security and peace we have enjoyed,” said Parto Sentono before conducting the ritual.
A number of young villagers were handpicked to join the mass fight. Nearly all adults were involved in the most colossal event of the year, which included a procession.
The ritual began around 6 a.m. Fighters from the two camps walked around the Menggung cemetery. During the procession, both sides threw offerings at each other while distributing them to onlookers. As the temperature rose, village elders herded the fighters to an arena near the tomb.
By then, thousands of people from both hamlets had gathered to watch the fighters donned with ancient costumes, heirlooms and holding banners.
As fighters from the two villages stood opposite each other, making provocative statements to build
an atmosphere of enmity, several dancers appeared in the arena to ease the tension.
But it was time to fight. The two camps attacked and chased each other, traded blows and hurled stones or chunks of wood at each other. Although the brawlers knock each other about, they are not allowed to feel vengeful.
“This mass fight is part of the village’s cleansing ritual to get rid of negative energy. Through dukutan, residents can unleash their frustration toward each other and all the angst and bad feelings will be cleared up after,” explained Parto Sentono.
The clash near the cemetery lasted for 10 minutes at most, with hamlet fighters beaming with laughter soon after, as if nothing had happened. No one held a grudge. The ritual just served as a way of bringing about peaceful relations and tolerance among villagers, as well as maintain a tradition reminiscent of their forefathers’ unique expression of love.
Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/10/13/love-conquers-all.html
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