The art of jaranan or jaran braid is adapted from traditional Kediri folk tales, precisely during the reign of King Amiseno, namely the Ngurawan Kingdom, one of the kingdoms located east of the Kediri Brantas River. It is said that the King had a daughter who was very beautiful and incomparable, could not be described in words, she was named ‘Dyah Ayu Songgolangit’. It is not surprising that Songgolangit’s beauty is famous throughout the world so that many kings from outside the Kediri area want to marry her.
Songolangit has a handsome, skilled and fiercest brother in the military, named Raden Tubagus Putut. To add insight and knowledge, Raden Tubagus Putut asked his father to say goodbye to traveling and disguised himself as ordinary people. Meanwhile in the Bantar Angin Kingdom led by Prabu Kelono Sewandono, Raden Tubagus Putut is interested in serving / Suwito. Thanks to his ability in the military though he was appointed governor of the kingdom and given the title Patih Pujonggo Anom.
The King Kelono Sewandono heard the beauty of Dyah Ayu Songgo Langit and wanted to ask for her hand, so Patih Pujonggo Anom was sent to propose to Kediri. Before leaving for Kediri, Pujonggo Anom asked the God for instructions so that his father and brother would not know him.
In the kingdom of Ngurawan, many applicants came, including King Singo Barong from Lodoyo who was accompanied by his patih, Prabu Singokumbang. The arrival of Pujonggo Anom to propose surprised Songgolangit, because even though Pujonggoanom wore a mask, he knew that it was his own sister. Songgolangit went to his father and said that Pujonggo Anom was his own son. Hearing the narrative, the father was angry.
Then the Prabu cursed Pujonggo Anom that the mask he wore on his face could not be removed from his face. Pujonggo Anom told Songgolangit that his proposal was actually for the king, namely Prabu Kelono Sewandono. Finally Songgolangit issued a Patembabaya (competition) which contained: He wanted a catwalk (vehicle) that did not stand on the ground.
“Whoever can make a spectacle that does not exist in this universe, and when it is held it can enliven the universe; and the parading manten to Kediri must nglandak sahandape pillowa (under the ground) accompanied by beats. Whoever can fulfill this request, the creator has the right to marry Dewi Songgolangit as empress.
Pujonggo Anom reported Songgolangit’s request to Prabu Kelono Sewandono.
Because they found it quite difficult, both of them finally meditated asking for the guidance of the Great God. Dewata provided materials in the form of bamboo stalks, iron plates and a whip called the Samandiman Whip. The bamboo sticks are used to make a braided horse which symbolizes a footbridge that does not stand on the ground, the iron plate is made into a pleasant sounding material. In a short time, Kelono Sewandono and Pujonggo Anom were able to fulfill Dewi Songgolangit’s patembaya.
Finally, the army of soldiers on horseback from Bantar Angin to the Kingdom of Kediri accompanied by beats can be a spectacle that the people of Kediri have never seen. So the art was started, named Jaran Kepang Dance, which consisted of four people as dancers depicting a royal courtier who was riding a horse in the task of guarding the king. The dance is accompanied by a unit of Javanese gamelan music in the form of tap, kenong, kempol, gong suwukan, trumpet, drum and angklung.
On the other hand, King Singo Barong felt preceded by King Kelono Sewandono, so Singo Barong was angry and a war broke out. Kelono Sewandono excelled in battle thanks to Samandiman’s whip. Singo Barong surrendered to Kelono Sewandono and was able to be a complement in the jaranan show held in the Kingdom of Kediri, because basically they really like gamelan music.
With the joining of Singo Barong and his patih Singo Kumbang (boars), the total number of jaranan dancers has been completed until now. In addition to a set of gamelan, jaranan performances also require offerings that must be provided from the jaranan puppeteer who is commonly called “Gambuh” including:
Incense (incense mixed with a certain perfume and then burned), Buceng (containing rooster roasted chicken and some snacks from the market, one coconut and a plantain comb), Kembang Boreh (containing kanthil flowers and kennongo flowers), Ulung-ulung (in the form of a healthy rooster), Kinangan (in the form of a unit of gambier, suruh, tobacco and lime crushed together and then pitted against tobacco).
Then the gambuh with his mouth mumbled chanting incantations while sitting cross-legged in front of the offerings trying to communicate with the ancestral spirits and asking to infiltrate the body of one of the jaranan dancers. After the spirit desired by the gambuh appears and infiltrates the body of one of the dancers, the dancer whose body has been infiltrated by the spirit can dance subconsciously for hours because it follows the will of the spirit that has infiltrated his body. While dancing, the jaranan are fed flowers and drink water mixed with rice bran, and some even eat broken glass semprong.
In Kediri, Jaranan art is often performed to welcome important guests, inauguration events and family parties, especially for events that take place in the month of Suro.
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