Sekaten

Sekaten (ꦱꦼꦏꦠꦺꦤ꧀; from the Arabic word syahadatain) is a week-long Javanese traditional ceremony, festival, fair and pasar malam (night market) commemorating Mawlid (the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), celebrated annually started on 5th day through the 12th day of (Javanese Calendar) Mulud month (corresponding to Rabi' al-awwal in Islamic Calendar). The festivities usually took place in northern alun-alun (square) in Yogyakarta, and simultaneously also celebrated in northern alun-alun of Surakarta. This ceremony originally were initiated by Sultan Hamengkubuwana I, the founder of Yogyakarta Sultanate to promote the Islamic faith. Gamelan Sekaten On day one, the ceremony commences after the Isya evening prayer with a royal procession of royal guards and 'abdi dalem' court officials accompanying two sets of centuries old gamelan traditional music instruments, the Kyai Nogo Wilogo and Kyai Guntur Madu. The royal procession, led by the Sultan and Governor of Yogyakarta or his representative, begins in Pendopo Ponconiti, the main hall of Kraton Yogyakarta and proceeds towards Yogyakarta Great Mosque in northern Alun-Alun. The Kyai Nogo Wilogo gamelan will be placed at the northern pavilion of Grand Mosque, while Gamelan Kyai Guntur Madu will be placed at Pagongan pavilion in southern side of the mosque. These two set of sacred gamelans will be played simultaneously everyday until the 11th day of Maulud month through seven consecutive days. During the last day the two gamelans will be returned into the Kraton. The Gamelan Sekaten of Surakarta are played in the same manner as their Yogyakarta counterparts, and are brought out to the mosque and returned to the palace in a royal procession led by the Sunan of Surakarta and the Mayor and City Council of Surakarta. Two days before Grebeg Muludan, the ceremony called Tumplak Wajik was held in palace Magangan field in 4:00 PM afternoon.