Bengkulu is a place on the west coast of Sumatra Island. Bengkulu is a province that was once under the territory of the Sultanate of Banten and the Kingdom of Indrapura.
There are several historical places and interesting natural attractions that can be visited in Bengkulu.
One of the historical places in Bengkulu is the exile house of Bung Karno.
In addition there is also Fort Marlborough which was built when the British ruled in this area in 1713-1719.
In addition to these places, Bengkulu also has a custom that is often celebrated in the annual festival, the Bengkulu Tabot Festival.
The Bengkulu Tabot tradition also provided the inspiration for creating the Bengkulu Tabot Dance.
History of Bengkulu Tabot Dance
The Bengkulu Tabot Festival is one of the festivals that presents various kinds of arts.
The Islamic nuance is thick with this festival. Some of the performing arts in this festival include the Tabot Dance, tambourine performances, and the ceremony parading the tabot.
The Tabot Festival was originally a Tabot ritual ceremony. Tabot comes from the word Ark which is an Arabic word.
Ark has a literal meaning as a chest or wooden box. In the past, the tabot was believed to be a box containing the Torah of the Children of Israel.
People used to believe that the box and its contents if it disappeared, there would be catastrophe. However, if the tabot appears then goodness will arise.
Tabot itself is a term for a box arranged with steps.
This box is arranged like a mosque minaret and decorated with various accessories such as decorative lights, paper flowers, plastic flowers, colorful paper, and carvings. Tabot made of bamboo, rattan, or paper.
The Tabot Festival is held by the people of Bengkulu every time they welcome the Islamic New Year. This festival will usually be held for about four days.
The people of Bengkulu held this festival to commemorate the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Husein Bin Ali Abi Talib.
The grandson of the Prophet died while being held captive by Yazid Bin Muawiyah’s soldiers in Padang Karbala, Iraq.
This tradition was brought by Shia Muslim workers who came from Madras and Bengali, a place in the southern part of India.
The worker came to Bengkulu brought by the British army when building Fort Marlborough.
However, there are also those who say that the first Tabot ceremony was introduced in Bengkulu around 1685 by Syeh Burhanuddin or Imam Senggolo. He is known as a propagator of Islam in Bengkulu.
Bengkulu Tabot Dance
Bengkulu Tabot Dance is a dance creation that describes the Tabot ceremony. The essence of this dance is to tell about the heroism of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad SAW.
In Bengkulu Tabot Dance, the dancers wear head accessories that resemble tabots that are paraded around. In addition there are also dancers who wear crowns, carry sticks, and scarves.
The Tabot Bengkulu dance uses a musical accompaniment at the Tabot Festival, namely dol. This dance music is typical of Bengkulu custom.
The Bengkulu Tabot Dance movement refers to the nine stages performed during the Tabot ritual.
9 Stages of the Tabot Ritual
In the Tabot tradition, there are nine rituals that are held in the four day festival which is held during the Islamic New Year week.
The first stage is to pick up the soil or take the soil. The land taken came from a sacred place trusted by the Bengkulu people.
The second stage is the ritual of sitting penja, namely washing metal objects such as brass, copper, or silver which is called penja. This object is in the form of a human palm.
The third is the stage of adapting. This stage is carried out by Jola, namely children aged 10-12 years. Meradai is the stage of raising funds. This activity was carried out on the 6th of Muharram.
Fourth is the stage of imprisonment or visiting other groups to complain about dol, a kind of drum. Dol is made of wood covered with cowhide.
The fifth stage is called arak penja. At this stage the penja in the second stage is placed in a tabot that has been arranged and then paraded on the main street of Bengkulu City.
The sixth stage is also called the penja parading but is added with a white turban placed on a small tabot.
At the seventh stage, all activities stop. This stage is known as gam, which is a period of mourning or calm. This stage must be adhered to.
The eighth stage is held on the 9th of Muharram. This stage is called the drum wine. The eighth stage is the release of the tabot.
The ninth stage or the last stage which arrives on the 10th of Muharram. This stage is known as tabot ransom.
Disposal of tabots used to be done at sea. However, at this time the disposal of tabots is carried out in swamps close to the public cemetery or Karbela tomb.
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