Getting To Know The Traditional Kawin Culik Sasak Tribe In Lombok, This Is The Meaning And Procession

Illustration of the tradition of marrying the Sasak tribe (freepic)

YOGYAKARTA - Lombok Island, which is located in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has a unique tradition ahead of marriage known as the tradition of marrying. It is interesting to know the tradition of marrying the Sasak tribe.

Among the Sasak people, this tradition is called the term 'merarik' and is a form of local wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation. To understand more about this tradition of marrying, here is the complete information that has been collected from various references.

The tradition of kawining is part of a series of traditional wedding ceremonies of the Sasak Tribe in Lombok. At this stage, the prospective groom is required to "snare" his partner and take her to a relative or closest relative's house.

However, before the religious ritual took place, the two couples first made an agreement and planned the kidnapping.

Please note that this kidnapping can only be carried out at night and must be kept secret from the family, especially the parents of the women. Only certain relatives and couples involved may know about this plan.

The tradisi merarik hanya dijalankan oleh pasangan kekasih yang sudah memiliki hubungan sebelumnya, dan dilakukan atas dasar kesepakatan bersama atau suka sama suka sama suka.

For the people of the Sasak Tribe, merarik is considered a tradition passed down from generation to generation and is considered more dignified than the application process directly.

The tradition of kaburning or meric marriage originated from the habit of a man taking his favorite girl away with the aim of getting married. However, over time, the term mererik is now used by most Sasak people to refer to the whole series of their traditional marriages.

This traditional wedding ceremony has been part of the life of the Sasak people for generations and continues to be passed on from generation to generation. There are two views related to the origin of this tradition.

The first view states that this tradition does come from the Sasak Tribe and was practiced long before the Lombok region was controlled by the Kingdom of Bali in the around 18th century. Meanwhile, the second view is that merarik is the result of a cultural mixture between Balinese and Sasak traditions.

Historically, Lombok has indeed been under the rule of the Kingdom of Bali for almost a century, so the possibility of cultural acculturation is very large.

This tradition of marriage has a deep philosophical meaning for the people of Sasak. The main value contained in it is the creation of a harmonious relationship between the two extended families that will be united through marriage.

In the tradition of marrying the Sasak Tribe, there are several stages or processions that must be undertaken. Here are the stages in the tradition of marrying in Lombok:

The strong tradition is carried out by secretly bringing the bride and groom from her house to the residence of the male relatives. This procession must be done at night.

The goal is to prevent conflict or noise. If there is a commotion, then the procession is considered null and the men must pay a fine as a consequence.

The next step in this procession is called true intermediate. At this stage, the prospective groom is obliged to inform the families of the bride and groom that their daughter has been taken away.

After that, the man must also report the kidnapping incident to the hamlet head. Only then will the hamlet head officially convey the news to the bride and groom's family.

A few days after the true procession takes place, the next stage will be carried out. At this stage, the prospective groom needs to send representatives or trusted people to ask for the family's willingness for the bride and groom to be willing to be a guardian in the marriage contract procession.

This procession is the most important part of the traditional wedding ceremony of the Sasak Tribe which contains a very deep meaning. The term sorong cerah symbolizes the witness process, aji means degree or value, and cramps refer to dignity.

At this stage, the event was attended by the head of the hamlet from both parties, village heads, elders, invited guests, and the general public who acted as witnesses for the bride and groom. With this procession, the two couples are considered to be ready to live a social life with a new status as husband and wife.

The tradition of weddings is closed with a procession of ones naebales, which is a gathering between the brides and grooms. This stage is an important moment to strengthen the bonds between the two families. In this procession, both parties are advised to forgive each other if there are things that are not pleasing during the previous traditional series.

If the prospective groom does not follow the traditional procedures of the Sasak Tribe properly, the bride's family can feel offended because it gives a negative impression. It was as if their child was treated like an item.

In addition, men are not allowed to come to apply directly without going through traditional procedures, because these actions can lead to scorn and are considered to violate traditions, so applications will most likely not be accepted by women's families.

Such are the reviews of the Sasak tribe marriage tradition in Lombok. This tradition does not only bring women to marry, but contains life values that are important for the Sasak tribe in Lombok. Also read 21 traditional ceremonies in Indonesia: the origin and purpose.

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