Traditional Javanese Procession: Siraman
Jakarta
December 20, 2018
by Tutde Darmayasa
Today we unveil another traditional wedding ceremony that we called ‘Siraman’, it’s derived from Javanese word ’siram’ that means pouring the water to take a bath. It is a sacred procession to clean their bodies and their souls one day before the Ijab rituals. The water has to come from 7 different sources, filled inside a barrel and mixed with various flowers. Before Siraman, the bride did Sungkeman, it is a tear-breaking moment, whereas the bride and the groom will bend over to their parent’s knee to ask for forgiveness and permission from their parents. It was one of the days that we will always treasure the most, witnessing a good friend of ours, Gathi, reaching out to a new milestone in her life.
Amongst the family, the one who also catches our attention was a 90-years old lady that later on we know as Mrs. Ina. Back then, she was a teacher of Gathi’s family during their stayed in Germany. Now, she has Dementia and couldn’t easily remember a thing. But on that day, she remembered Gathi and it added up one more slice of happiness to the day.
