PT TWC Supports the Implementation of the Borobudur Ruwat Rawat Parade
Javanese people often consider the commemoration of Satu Suro night to be a sacred night full of spiritual elements. This sacred night, which is considered to bring blessings, will generally be followed by a cultural ritual procession which has significant meaning for people who still adhere to Javanese culture.
Hundreds of residents from inside and outside Borobudur, Magelang, took part in a cultural procession to the courtyard of Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Sunday (31/7/2022). The procession, which was held to commemorate the Islamic New Year, was also part of the Borobudur Ruwat Rawat festival series.
Participants walked from Jalan Medang Kamulan Borobudur through the concourse towards the Borobudur Temple courtyard, Magelang, carrying a 600-meter-long white cloth, mountains of agricultural products, heirloom keris and also candles that added to the sacredness of the cultural procession. Upon arriving at the temple courtyard, the cloth was stretched around the temple in a pradaksina manner by participants who were partly seen wearing traditional clothing.
Borobudur Temple cultural expert and committee member of the Suro Night cultural procession, Sucoro, said that white cloth is a symbol of purity indicating the sacredness of Suro Night One. He added that the selection of Borobudur Temple in the Suro Night One cultural procession was a sign that the historic building has a close relationship with the Javanese people.
"The white cloth is a symbol of purity, we suspect that suro is identical to the keris jamasi, but we are not trying it with its spiritual spirit through a 600-meter-long white cloth," he said after the activity on Sunday (31/07/2022).
He also hopes that the cultural procession to commemorate the First Night of Suro can send a signal to the government that the cultural heritage around Borobudur Temple is very rich and needs to be preserved.
"Therefore, I try to hope that the government can catch these signals. By seeing the sacredness of Borobudur Temple," he explained.
Meanwhile, PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko as the manager of zone II in the Borobudur Temple area supports the implementation of the annual routine agenda of the community in the Borobudur area. This is in accordance with the recommendation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo who invited tourism actors to improve art and cultural attractions as a magnet for tourist visits to Borobudur.
"We are committed to encouraging traditional arts and culture actors in Borobudur as part of supporting tourist attractions in the Borobudur area. This is in accordance with President Joko Widodo's direction to support the recovery and activation of quality tourism in Borobudur," explained PT TWC President Director Edy Setijono.
