The slametan (or selametan, slamatan, and selamatan) is the communal

feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

from

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

, symbolizing the social unity of those participating in it.

Clifford Geertz Clifford James Geertz (; August 23, 1926 – October 30, 2006) was an American anthropologist who is remembered mostly for his strong support for and influence on the practice of symbolic anthropology and who was considered "for three decades&n ...

considered it the core

ritual A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

in Javanese religion, in particular the abangan variant.Geertz, 11. The feast is common among the closely related Javanese, Sundanese and

Madurese people Madurese people ('' mUH-dOO-rUH''; ; ) are one of the Austronesian-speaking ethnic group native to the Indonesian island of Madura in the Java Sea, off the northeastern coast of Java. They speak their own native Madurese (with diverse varieties ...

. A slametan can be given to celebrate almost any occurrence, including

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

, moving to a new house, and so forth. Depending on the intention, the mood and emphasis may vary somewhat, but the main structure is the same. Geertz categorizes them into four main types: *Those relating to the crises of life: birth,

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

, marriage, and death *Those associated with events of the

Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar (), also known in English as the Islamic calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to determine the proper days of Islamic holidays and rituals, such as the Ramad ...

*The ''bersih désa'' ("cleaning of the village"), concerned with the social integration of the village *Those held irregularly depending on unusual occurrences: departing for a long trip, moving residence, changing personal names, healing from illnesses, recovering from the effect of sorcery, and so on The ceremony takes its name from the Javanese word ''slamet'', from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: '' salam'', which refers to a peaceful state of equanimity, in which nothing will happen. This is what the host intends for both himself and his guests, by experiencing the egalitarian structure of the slametan and the petitions of supernatural protection from spirits. In Geertz's fieldwork in Mojokuto in the 1950s, he found that costs of slametans varied from 3 to 5,000

Indonesian rupiah The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...

s, depending on the type and the relative wealth of the host.

Procedure

Slametans are generally held in the evening, after evening prayer is finished. The date is determined either by the occurrence it is celebrating (for births and deaths, for example), or on auspicious days in the

Javanese calendar The Javanese calendar () is the calendar of the Javanese people. It is used concurrently with two other calendars, the Gregorian calendar and the Islamic calendar. The Gregorian calendar is the official calendar of the Republic of Indonesia and c ...

. The guests, always men, are always close neighbors, and the selection of guests is based entirely on proximity, and not whether they are friends or relatives. Traditionally the guests are called by a messenger of the host (usually a child of his) only five or ten minutes before the ''slametan'' is to begin to attend the dinner, and they must drop whatever they are doing to come. Today, the invitations are sent via emails and social media to ensure attendance.Geertz, 12. When they arrive, the guests sit on floor mats around the food which has been placed in the center, while incense fills the room. The ceremony begins with a formal speech (''udjub'') in high Javanese. The speech thanks the attendees for coming, presents the reason for the slametan, announces his intentions and petitions the spirits to secure for himself and his guests a state of equanimity (''slamet'', hence the name of the ritual), and finally apologizes for any errors in his speech and the humble inadequacy of the food. During pauses in the speech, the audience responds with a solemn "inggih" ("yes"). Following the speech, somebody present gives an Arabic chant-prayer. Many will not know how, but the host makes sure that someone there has attended a

religious school A religious school is a school that either has a religious component in its operations or its curriculum, or exists primarily for the purpose of teaching aspects of a particular religion. For children A 2002 study in the United States found highe ...

(usually a

kyai A kyai ( ) is an expert in Islam. This denomination is usually used among the ethnic Javanese people. Origins The word kyai is originally from Javanese. Sometimes, it is spelled kiai. Traditionally, students of Islam in Indonesia would study ...

); for special occasions, he may even invite the village religious specialist (the '' modin''). Fragments of the Al-Qur'an, especially the

Al-Fatiha Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary literal mea ...

, are most commonly used, although special prayers may be used if they are known. At pauses, the audience says ''aamiin''. The prayer leader receives a small payment (''wadjib'').Geertz, 13. At last, the food is served. While the ceremony is strictly for men, the food preparation falls upon the women in the family, who for larger ceremonies may draw on kin to assist in the preparation. Each guest receives a cup of tea and a banana-leaf dish containing each sort of food in the center of the room. The food is fancier than average, and each variety has a symbolic meaning, which is sometimes explained in the speech. The host himself does not eat, nor does he serve the food, which one or two of the guests do. When everybody has a dish, the host invites them to eat, which they do quickly without speaking. After a few minutes, and before eating most of the food, the guests excuse themselves, and finish eating the food in their own homes, with their own wives and children. The whole ceremony usually lasts only ten or fifteen minutes.

Timing and characteristics

Life cycle events

Around

, there are four major slametans and a number of minor ones. The four major ones are: * ''Tingkeban'', at about seven months of pregnancy (held only for the first child of either the mother or father) * ''Babaran'' or ''brokokan'', at the birth itself * ''Pasaran'', five days after birth, including the naming of the child * ''Pitonan'', seven "months" after birth (a month being the 35-day cycle of the Javanese calendar) The

slametan (''islamam'' or ''sunatan'', held for boys between the ages of ten and fourteen) and the

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

slametan (''kepanggihan'') are similar in their ceremony and foods offered, and can be seen as coming-of-age ceremonies for boys and girls, respectively.

Funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

s (''layatan'') generally take place as soon as possible after the death, and inevitably involve the religious specialist (''modin'') of the village. Slametans are held the day of the death, and then repeated in increasing size (both in number of guests and length of the chant) three, seven, forty, and 100 days after the death, the first and second anniversaries, and 1000 days after the death. The final one is the most elaborate, and is thought to mark the point when the body has completely decayed to dust.

Islamic feasts

The most important of the calendrical slametans are for the Prophet's birthday (''Muludan'', on 12

Rabi' al-awwal Rabiʽ al-Awwal (, also known as Rabi' al-Ula (), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name ''Rabī‘ al-awwal'' means "''the first month'' or ''beginning of Spring (season), spring''", referring to its position in the ...

) and near the end of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

(''Maleman''). Other notable holidays infrequently have slametans, and Satu Suro, the New Year's Day (1

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

) is celebrated by those who are self-consciously Muslim. Because these dates are shared by everybody, it is common to attend slametans for many of one's neighbors in succession. For this reason, they tend to be relatively small, and particularly based on the principle of inviting neighbors.

Community feasts

The ''bersih désa'' is always held in

Dhu al-Qi'dah Dhu al-Qa'dah (, ', ), also spelled Dhu al-Qi'dah or Zu al-Qa'dah, is the eleventh month in the Islamic calendar. It could possibly mean "possessor or owner of the sitting and seating place" - the space occupied while sitting or the manner of t ...

(''Sela''), the eleventh month, on different days according to village tradition. This slametan is given at the place of burial of the '' dhanyang désa'', the guardian spirit of the village. In santri villages, it may take place at a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

and consist entirely of Muslim prayers. For this type of slametan, all families in the village are expected to contribute food, with the adult head of each family obliged to attend.

Personal feasts

Geertz's final category of slametans, intermittently occurring and dependent on a specific situation, are somewhat less frequent and tend to be smaller affairs. Reasons for holding these slametans include changing residences, changing names, going on a journey, bad dreams (it can prevent the fearful event), prevention or encouragement of rain, anniversaries of clubs and organizations, sorcery, healing, and others.Geertz, 83-84.

References

* Geertz, Clifford. ''The Religion of Java''. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press, 1960.