When
a child reaches the age of seven lapan (7 x 35 days), it is customary
to celebrate with a tedak siten ceremony, which is a ceremony to introduce
the child for the first time to earth/ the ground. This ceremony symbolizes
the hope that the child will be able to stand by him/herself in life.
In general, the ceremony is organized in the morning in the front
yard or the house.
Equipments needed are:
|
| 1.
|
Offerings,
which consists of
a. Cone shaped rice serming with vegetables
b. Red and white pudding
c. Boro-boro pudding
d. Traditional snacks
|
|
 |
| 2. |
Juwadah with seven
colors: red, white, black, yellow, blue, pink or orange, and purple. |
| 3.
|
Flowers
placed in a big brass contained |
| 4.
|
Ladder
made of pink cane sugar |
| 5.
|
Chicken
cage decorated with coconut leaves or colored papers |
| 6. |
Rice,
cotton, jasmine, rose, and cananga |
| 7. |
Yellow
rice and various paper money |
| 8.
|
Various
valuables, such as bracelets, necklace, safety pins, etcetera |
| 9. |
Useful
goods, such as books, stationary, etcetera placed inside the chicken
cage |
| A.
Procedures of Ceremony |
| 1.
|
The
child is taught to walk stepping over juwadah with 7 colors. This
symbolizes the hope that the child will always remember his fatherland |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| 2. |
The child is lifted
to a ladder made of sugar cane hoping that the child will be successful
and dynamic
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
| 3.
|
The
child is then put in the chicken cage, if the child hesitates, and
then the mother or maid accompanies to enter. The audience waits for
the child to pick one of the items to pick in the cage, such as rice,
bracelet, rings, stationary, cotton, leather wayang, or toys. The
first thing the baby picks will symbolize his life in the future. |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| 4. |
After
the child picks one of the items in the cage, for instance gold bracelet,
people interprets its meanings. If the child picks gold bracelet,
it is a sign that the baby will be a wealthy person. If he/she picks
a stationary, he will be an office worker or a smart person. |
|
 |
| 5.
|
Yellow
rice and various coins are spread. The audience struggles to take
as many coin as possible to make the situation livelier. |
|
| 6.
|
The child
is bathed with fragranced water with hopes that the child will bring
goodwill towards the family and that the child will live a clean and
pure life. |
|
| 7. |
After
bathing, the child wears nice new clothing to please the parents and
guests |
|
| 8. |
The child
sits on a mat or carpet close to the things that were placed inside
the cage. |
|
| 9. |
To motivate
the child to pick the things, parents signals and calls the baby with
“kur-kur” sounds like calling chicken and spreads yellow
rice, coins, etcetera. |
|
| B.
Meanings of the equipments used |
| 1. |
Sugar
cane ladder means in Javanese “anteping kalbu” which means
consistent in pursuing dreams so it will be achieved quickly |
|
| 2.
|
Seven
colored Juwadah hopes that the baby will be able to overcome obstacles |
|
| 3.
|
Chicken
cage symbolizes the hope that the child will be able to enter the
society well and obey all the local rules and tradition |
|
.
