
Umbul-umbul, also called rérontek or, archaically, tunggul, are a type of
flag
A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...
or
pennant made of a strip of cloth whose longer side is attached to a pole. They are used in the traditional culture of
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 ...
and
Bali
Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, where they are carried in festivals and serve other decorative purposes. Red and white Umbul-umbuls are raised throughout Indonesia along streets in August to commemorate the
Indonesian independence day
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Japan Standard Time, Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of ...
.
Traditional umbul-umbul in Java and Bali are usually curved, because they are posted on
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
poles which are flexible and swing in the wind. Traditional umbul-umbul are akin to Balinese ''penjor'', raised during
Galungan
Galungan is a Balinese holiday celebrating the victory of ''dharma'' over ''adharma''.Eiseman (1989) p353 It marks the time when the ancestral spirits visit the Earth. The last day of the celebration is Kuningan, when they return. The date is ca ...
festival. ''Penjor'' are curved bamboo poles decorated with woven ''janur'', young coconut leaf that is also the material to make
ketupat
''Ketupat'' (in Indonesian and Malay), or ''kupat'' (in Javanese and Sundanese), or ''tipat'' (in Balinese) is a Javanese rice cake packed inside a diamond-shaped container of woven palm leaf pouch. Originating in Indonesia, it is also ...
woven pouches. The tips are often decorated with woven ''janur'' ornaments. Modern umbul-umbul are usually fixed to straight metal flagpoles.
Etymology
A
Sundanese language
Sundanese ( ; , Sundanese script: , ) is an Austronesian language spoken in Java, primarily by the Sundanese. It has approximately 32 million native speakers in the western third of Java; they represent about 15% of Indonesia's total pop ...
dictionary of 1862 translates the word "umbul-umbul" as "a banner; any signal, as a flag or other object, hoisted so as to be seen at a distance. Banners carried about the person of native chiefs. A small flag attached to a spear." It also notes that the same word, pronounced differently, means "to come in sight, to show up".
See also
*
Nobori
is a Japanese type of banner. They are long, narrow flags, attached to a pole with a cross-rod to hold the fabric straight out and prevent it from furling around the rod; this way, the field is always visible and identifiable.
History of use ...
, slightly similar Japanese vertical banner
References
Types of flags
Javanese culture
Balinese culture
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