MAKNA SIMBOLIS WONTEN SALEBETING UPACARA TRADHISI PENGANTEN TEBU ING PABRIK GULA SUMBERHARJO

Abstract

This research was conducted in Sumberharjo sugar factoryin Banjarmulya village, sub district Pemalang, district Pemalang. This research is aimed to describe the origin of pengantin tebu tradition in the sugar factory located in Banjarmulya village, sub district Pemalang, district Pemalang, Central Java, to describe the ceremony of pengantin tebu tradition, and to describe the offerings used in the ceremony of pengantin tebu tradition and the meaning implied in every offering of pengantin tebu ceremony in Sumberharjo sugar factory, Banjarmulya village, sub district Pemalang, district Pemalang, Central Java.

This research was a qualitative research. The reason the researcher chose conducting a qualitative research is to give a clear description of the origin of pengantin tebu ceremony, the process of pengantin tebu ceremony, the symbolic meaning of the offerings used in the ceremony, and the benefits of the ceremony to the society. The object of this pengantin tebu ceremony research was the offerings used in the ceremony. The data collecting techniques used in this research were a participant observation, an in depth interview, and documentation. The instrument used in this research was the researcher herself assisted with supporting devices including a note book, a camera, and a recorder. The collected data were analyzed by using an inductive technique. The trustworthiness of this research used triangulation by source and by method.

The results of the research show that the ceremony of pengantin tebu tradition was held for the first time because of the existence of a haunted place. There are five tampahs (a kind of winnowing fans) of various offerings used in this ceremony that every single tampah consists of a different offering conveying a different meaning. The symbolic meaning of those various offerings used in the pengantin tebu ceremony is that it is a form of the public’s gratitude to Allah to make the sugar cane milling process run smoothly and do not face any kind of problems.

Keywords: traditional ceremony, pengantin tebu, Sumberharjo sugar factory