Gerebeg Mulud

The culmination of Sekaten Ceremony is called Gerebeg Mulud. It is held on the 12th day of Javanese month ‘Mulud’. This festival starts at 7:30 a.m., preceded by a parade of the palace guards consisting of ten units. Those are Wirobrojo, Daeng, Patangpuluh, Jogokaryo, Prawirotomo, Nytro, Ketanggung, Mantrijeron, Surokarso, and Bugisevery unit. Each of them has its own specific uniform. The parade starts from the yard of the northern Kemandungan of the palace, then across the Siti Hinggil and walks toward Pagelaran, and finally to the northern square.
At 10:00 a.m., the Gunungan leaves the palace preceded by Bugis and Surokarso squads. The Gunungan is made of food such as vegetables, peanuts, red pepper, eggs, and several delicacies made of sticky rice. It is mountain-shaped and symbolizes the prosperity and wealth of the Mataram’s land.
When the parade crosses the northern square, it is always greeted b a salvo of gun shots and cheered by the palace guards who have been waiting. It is called ‘Gerebeg’. The word ‘Gerebeg’ means the ‘noise produced by the cheering people’. The Gunungan lthen leads to the Great Mosque to require blessing. After being blessed, the Gunungan will be scrambled by people who believe that parts of the offering are sacred object with spiritual power. Farmers often plant these parts of the scrambled Gunungan in their land because it is believed it will keep out of disaster and misfortune.


Hasna Azizah F.
XI IA 5 / 17