0 Ceremony shows harmony on Serangan

Hundreds of residents of Serangan islet near Denpasar happily attended a large Muslim celebration, locally called Maulid Nabi, in honor of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, on Thursday morning. The day is an official public holiday in Indonesia and the celebration drew many visitors and tourists. Maulid Nabi is widely celebrated in the predominantly Muslim Indonesia. 

In many parts of the island of Java, especially in Yogyakarta, Surakarta and Cirebon, Maulid is celebrated with lavish and merry-making events. In Serangan, this Muslim celebration has been observed for many centuries by the locals, mostly direct descendants of the seafaring Bugis ethnic group from South Sulawesi, who became stranded in Serangan many years ago. 

The ceremony officially started from Asy-Syuhada Mosque in the village with a long procession of people carrying a model of a wooden phinisi vessel, this is the type of vessel that is believed to have carried their ancestors to Bali, as well as a mountain-shape, called gunungan, which consisted of hundreds of decorated eggs, vegetables, colorful sticky rice, traditional cakes and other dishes. Women were clad in their best Muslim outfits, while male residents and their sons donned their traditional Koko costumes. 

Yuliati, a resident of Serangan, said that Maulid Nabi was one of the most joyous celebrations on the islet, after the Idul Fitri and Idul Adha Muslim celebrations. “It took a week to prepare for the celebration. Men worked to create a replica of the vessel, while women cooked to make the gunungan. Everybody in the village was involved in the preparations,” she said. Prior to the celebration, young people and children took part in various traditional games and competitions. 

At the end of the ritual, everyone was invited to taste the food from the gunungan. Hanafi, chairman of the celebration committee, told Bali Daily on the sidelines of the event on Thursday, that the annual ritual was a manifestation of the people’s gratitude to observe the birth of Prophet Muhammad and to also remind the people of their courageous ancestors, who originated from the Gowa Kingdom in South Sulawesi. The ritual was also a reminder for the younger generation of Serangan islet of the kindness and openness of the King of Badung to the people of Bugis descent. 

According to Haji Muhammad Mansyur, one of the direct descendants of the Bugis pioneers, his ancestors came to Bali in the 17th century. After days and weeks of being stranded at sea in their phinisi wooden vessel, the Bugis sailors noticed the peak of Mount Agung in Karangasem and decided to try and reach the island. Bugis sailors were renowned for their adventurous and seafaring characters, roaming the Indian Ocean as far as India, Sri Lanka, Java and Bali to the northern parts of Australia. Some of them settled in their destinations, creating Kampung Bugis (Bugis villages) in Jakarta, Surabaya (East Java) and in Bali. 

In Bali, the Bugis sailors were welcomed by the king of Badung and were granted lands in Denpasar and in Serangan islet, where they have resided ever since. Even the King of Badung, Cokorda Ngurah Sakti, a devout Hindu, lent his support and turned a hand to the construction of one of the oldest mosques in Bali, the Asy-Suhada in Serangan. Hundreds of Muslims in Serangan have been and continue to live side-by-side with their Hindu neighbors for many centuries in peace and harmony.

source : bali daily