On Wednesday July 17th, 2024, Pura Pakualaman held a traditional ceremony of Labuhan at Glagah Beach, Glagah Sub-district, Kapanewon Temon, Kulon Progo Regency, Yogyakarta. This Labuhan ceremony is held every 10 Muharram or 10 Sura. Together with a lecturer and servant of Pura Pakualaman, Dr. Ratna Saktimulya, M.Hum., as many as 20 students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) had the opportunity to follow the Labuhan traditional procession.
In its implementation, there are special provisions in the form of clothing that must be worn by students. The students’ clothes are traditional Pranakan clothes and jarit, while the female students’ clothes are kebaya and jarit. The participants gathered at 06.00 WIB at Pura Pakualaman before continuing the journey to Pesanggrahan Glagah by bus. Once there, students followed a series of ceremonies and blessings. The Ubarampe that had been prayed for was then paraded, and the participants followed it to Joglo Labuhan. Some gunungan are then thrown into the sea.
The procurement of this Labuhan tradition is a form of gratitude to God Almighty, praying for the ancestors, and hoping for safety, health, and prosperity for the community. For students, the Labuhan tradition at Glagah Beach is a golden opportunity to dive directly into and understand this fair form of Javanese culture. This direct cultural experience and interaction is expected to be a means of developing their scientific competence.
Thus, the opportunity given by Pura Pakualaman to the students of the Javanese Language, Literature, and Culture Study Program is a real effort to build understanding as well as steps to preserve Javanese culture.
