Meaning of Gotong Mayit according to Javanese Primbon, Know the Stages of the Ritual Process

Kapanlagi.com - Javanese Primbon has become part of Javanese culture and tradition. Despite the ever-changing times, belief in primbon remains preserved even until now. It's only natural, because Javanese primbon holds many lessons and guidance for life. Primbon also contains various terms, one of which is gotong mayit. So, what is the meaning of gotong mayit according to primbon?

Gotong mayit is a term in primbon that often arouses curiosity. At first glance, this term sounds quite scary. However, it turns out that in Javanese primbon, the term gotong mayit has a deep philosophical meaning. Many people seek to know the meaning of gotong mayit, believing that it contains wisdom and guidance for life.

Curious about the actual meaning of gotong mayit according to Javanese primbon? To find out, just read the following review.

1. Meaning of Gotong Mayit

Meaning of Gotong Mayit Primbon (credit: unsplash)

The meaning of Gotong Mayit is a term that may not be unfamiliar to the Javanese community. The term Gotong Mayit is related to the naming of the birth order of children. In relation to this, Sendang Kapit Pancuran refers to the naming of the birth order of three male children in one family.

In Javanese tradition, Gotong Mayit is believed to be one of the children born in a state of sukerta or sukerto. According to Javanese primbon, children born in sukerta are believed to have a less favorable fate. Furthermore, many also believe that children born in sukerta are born as a debt to their parents. Therefore, sukerta children, including Gotong Mayit, need to be redeemed by performing a special ritual called ruwatan.

Parents are advised to perform ruwatan or cleanse their souls according to Javanese tradition. Not only to change their bad fate, but the ruwatan tradition is also believed to cleanse the inner self and increase positive energy. It is believed to increase the chances of success for sukerta children in the future.

2. Ritual of Ruwatan Gotong Mayit

Ritual of Ruwatan Gotong Mayit (credit: unsplash)

In the tradition of ruwatan ritual for children of gotong mayit and other sukerta children, there are several stages that must be passed. Here are the stages in the ruwatan ritual:

1. Preparation of Sesaji

Sesaji in the ruwatan ritual for children of gotong mayit and other sukerta children involves banana raja, ingkung ayam, tumpeng, and paired birds. Each type of sesaji has its own special philosophical meaning.

2. Submission of Sarana

Submission of sarana is the reading of protection for the ruwatan sukerta children. At this stage, it is often accompanied by the sungkeman procession and kirab as a manifestation of the journey of human life.

3. Wayang Performance

In the wayang performance process, the stories presented are stories that are full of meaning of life. The puppet story will present the story of resistance against the god of time.

4.Hair Cutting Ritual

Hair cutting is part of the ruwatan procession where the puppeteer leading the ritual performs hair cutting. This action has symbolism that interprets the elimination of negative influences and bad luck in life.

5.Water Sprinkling

The sprinkling ritual aims to cleanse negative energy in the human body. The water used in this procession is called 'kembang setaman' water, which consists of kenanga flowers, jasmine flowers, and rose flowers. After the sprinkling procession is finished, the mori cloth used during the ruwatan will be discarded.

3. Other Children Who Also Need to be Ruwatan

Other Children Who Also Need to be Ruwatan Besides Gotong Mayit (credit: unsplash)

In addition to the meaning of the funeral horoscope, in Javanese horoscope there are still several groups of children who belong to the sukerta group, so it is believed that they also need to undergo the ruwatan tradition.

As quoted from the Youtube channel Eyang Kondo Buwono, here are some groups of children who need to be ruwated according to the Javanese horoscope:

1. Ontang-anting, which is the only child or the only one in the family who is male.

2. Unting-unting, which is the only child or the only one in the family who is female.

3. Uger-uger Lawang, which is two full siblings, all of them are male.

4. Kedhana kedhini, which is in one family having two children, one male and one female.

5. Kembar Sepasang, which is two children in one family, both are female.

6. Cukit Dulit, which is in one family, three children, all of them are female.

7. Gotong Mayit is three children in one family, all of them are boys.

8.Sendang Kapit Pancuran is in one family, three children in the order of boy, girl, and boy.

9.Pancuran Kapit Sendang is in one family, three children in the order of girl, boy, and girl.

10.Sarimbi is in one family, has four daughters.

11.Saramba is in one family, has four sons.

12.Gilir Kacang is in one family, has four children in the order of boy, girl, boy, and girl.

13.Pandhawa is in one family, has five sons.

14. Pendhawi is a family that has five daughters.

15.Ngayoni is a family that has four men and one woman.

Those are some brief explanations about the meaning of the funeral tradition. Hopefully useful and can add insight, especially related to Javanese culture.

(kpl/psp)