Revitalising Sesajen
The Role of Ritual Offerings in Yogyakarta Palace Ceremonies Amid Globalisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32678/iseaes.v2i1.52Keywords:
Southeast Asia, Indigenous people, sesajen, Yogyakarta Palace, Javanese cosmology, ritual syncretismAbstract
The tradition of offerings (sesajen) in the customary ceremonies of the Yogyakarta Palace represents a vital part of Javanese cultural heritage, embodying profound philosophical and spiritual values. Rooted in the syncretism of animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, the practice of sesajen serves as a medium for gratitude, reverence for ancestors, and spiritual communication. Rituals such as Labuhan and Sekaten continue to reflect the Javanese worldview of harmony among humans, nature, and the supernatural. Each offering component carries symbolic meaning and reflects generations of local wisdom that underpin Javanese identity. However, in the face of globalisation and modernisation, this tradition faces existential threats, particularly from shifting values among younger generations and the increasing influence of global ideologies. In response, the Yogyakarta Palace and traditional communities have implemented revitalisation strategies through cultural education, religious integration, and ceremonial preservation. This paper examines the types, preparation processes, symbolic meanings, and socio-cultural roles of offerings in Yogyakarta Palace rituals. Within the framework of Southeast Asian Indigenous and Ethnic Studies, this research highlights the dynamic resilience of Indigenous practices in adapting to changing times while preserving their core values.
Downloads
References
Adam, U. K., Yusup, A., Fadlullah, S. F., & Nurbayani, S. (2019). The functionalism of Sesajen as a social life philosophy in Kampung Cipicung Girang. International Journal of Sociology, Education, and Development (IJSED), 1(1).
Adam, U. K., Yusup, A., Fauziyyah, S., & Nurbayani, S. (2019). Akulturasi budaya – agama serta keselarasan dalam budaya sesajen di Kampung Cipicung Girang. Sosietas: Jurnal Pendidikan Sosiologi, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.17509/sosietas.v9i1.19579
Adinugraha, F. (2024). Ethnobiological study of Wiwitan in the Somongari Javanese community as biodiversity learning through educational video. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 10(12), 10065–10075. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v10i12.8720
Adinugraha, F., Zubaidah, S., Lestari, S. R., & Chua, K. H. (2024). Ethnobiology of plants and animals used as ubarampe in the Kepungan tradition of the Javanese Community of Somongari, Purworejo District, Indonesia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 25(8). https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d250824
Agustina, Y., & Syaifudin, A. (2021). Makna kultural pada satuan lingual tradisi sesajen pasang tarub dalam pernikahan Jawa. Jurnal Sastra Indonesia, 10(2), 115–120. https://doi.org/10.15294/jsi.v10i2.42645
Agustini, F. (2023). Implementasi metode Scrum pada aplikasi penjualan peta dan buku (studi kasus pada CV Ubo Rampe Palwoko). Artikel Ilmiah Sistem Informasi Akuntansi, 3(1), 36–41. https://doi.org/10.31294/akasia.v3i1.1900
Ahmad, I., Syafrijal, N. B., Octa, N. A., & Rizky, P. A. (2021). Tradisi upacara Sekaten di Yogyakarta. Kawruh: Journal of Language Education, Literature and Local Culture, 3(2), 49. https://doi.org/10.32585/kawruh.v3i2.1718
Akbar Rijal, Azzahra, A., Marzuqi, M. N., & Edita, R. R. (2024). Pengaruh budaya lokal terhadap praktik agama di masyarakat: Menggunakan sesajen sebagai pembuka pada sahur pertama bulan Ramadhan di Kampung Sukamulya Lembang. Hikmah: Jurnal Studi Pendidikan Agama Islam, 2(1), 183–187. https://doi.org/10.61132/hikmah.v2i1.585
Al-Fajriyati, M. I. (2019). Pengaruh tradisi Sekatenan terhadap perilaku keagamaan masyarakat Yogyakarta. Khazanah Theologia, 1(1), 40–46. https://doi.org/10.15575/kt.v1i1.7126
Alfiah, L., Asfarina, S. L., & Aldinar, M. F. A. (2022). Pemberian sesajen untuk ritual ruwah desa perspektif hukum Islam. Ma'mal: Jurnal Laboratorium Syariah dan Hukum, 3(1).
Alviyah, K., Pranawa, S., & Rahman, A. (2020). Culture consumption behaviour in Labuhan Bageng tradition at Sembukan Beach. Indonesian Journal of Sociology, Education, and Development (IJSED), 2(2).
A'yuni, M. N., & Syarifah, N. L. (2020). Manajemen pengorganisasian dakwah dalam perayaan budaya Sekaten di Keraton Yogyakarta. Jurnal Manajemen Dakwah, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.14421/jmd.2020.62-01
Azizah, Q. N., & Kurnia, H. (2023). Perspektif nilai Pancasila terhadap Grebeg Maulud Yogyakarta sebagai tradisi masyarakat Jawa. Buddayah: Jurnal Pendidikan Antropologi, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.24114/bdh.v5i1.46854
Budiawati, N. M., Tenaya, A. A. N. A. M. K., & Paramita, N. P. D. P. (2024). Yumana lawu metafora labuhan alit dalam busana urban edgy. Bhumidevi, 4(2).
Cohen, E. (1985). Spirit houses and Thai religious practice. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 16(1).
Dinas Kebudayaan. (2025). Tokoh-tokoh, tempat-tempat dan sesajen upacara adat Kraton Yogyakarta. https://www.kratonjogja.id/figur/6-nyi-krt-hamong-tedjonegoro-tekun-menjaga-tradisi/
Dutayana, M. K., & Bustami, A. L. (2022). Tradisi Sekaten Yogyakarta terhadap perkembangan pada abad ke-21 dalam teori sosial budaya. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Konseling (JPDK), 4(6). https://doi.org/10.31004/jpdk.v4i6.8966
Falah, F. (2020). Makna simbolik sesaji tradisi Baritan di Asemdoyong Pemalang Jawa Tengah. Endogami: Jurnal Ilmiah Kajian Antropologi, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.14710/endogami.4.1.109-117
Fox, J. J. (1991). Meaning and power in a Southeast Asian realm. By Shelly Errington [Book review]. The Journal of Asian Studies, 50(4), 988–989. https://doi.org/10.2307/2058618
Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books.
Geertz, C. (1976). The religion of Java. University of Chicago Press.
Ghozuan, A. Y. (2020). Revealing offering culture suguh sesajen. Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences, 12(1).
Hammam, M. Z. (2018). Istilah-istilah sesaji dalam tradisi ruwatan pemotongan rambut anak gembel di Desa Dieng Kulon, Kecamatan Batur, Kabupaten Banjarnegara [Unpublished thesis]. Universitas Sebelas Maret.
Harris, I. (2005). Cambodian Buddhism: History and practice. University of Hawai'i Press.
Haryanto, S., Sukawi, S., & Rozi, F. (2024). Creativity and local wisdom: Community empowerment in developing traditions, arts, and culture in the Giyanti Wonosobo Hills area in Central Java. Abdimas Indonesian Journal, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.59525/aij.v4i2.563
Hefner, R. W. (1985). Hindu Javanese: Tengger tradition and Islam. Princeton University Press.
Ichsan, Y., & Hanafiah, Y. (2020). Mistisisme dan transendensi sosio-kultural Islam di masyarakat pesisir Pantai Parangkusumo Yogyakarta. Fikri: Jurnal Kajian Agama, Sosial dan Budaya, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.25217/jf.v5i1.856
Jalil, A. (2015). Memaknai tradisi upacara labuhan dan pengaruhnya terhadap masyarakat Parangtritis. El Harakah, 17(1).
Jocano, F. L. (1975). Filipino prehistory: Rediscovering precolonial heritage. Philippine Center for Advanced Studies.
kratonjogja.id. (2025). Nyi KRT Hamong Tedjonegoro, tekun menjaga tradisi. https://www.kratonjogja.id/figur/6-nyi-krt-hamong-tedjonegoro-tekun-menjaga-tradisi/
Kratonjogja.id. (2025). Nyi Mas Hamong Yuliana, melestarikan sesaji dari pawon Keraton Yogyakarta. https://www.kratonjogja.id/figur/57-nyi-mas-hamong-yuliana-melestarikan-sesaji-dari-pawon-keraton-yogyakarta/
Kusuma, C. N. I. A. N. (2019). Grebeg Maulud sebagai upacara labuhan Gunung Merapi di Yogyakarta. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/k6dy2
Maharsi, M. (2018). Potret Islam di Kasultanan Yogyakarta abad XVIII: Kajian terhadap penulis naskah Babad Kraton. Jurnal Lektur Keagamaan, 15(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.31291/jlk.v15i1.515
Ma'rufah, D. A., Wijayanti, K. D., & Veronika, P. (2025). Makna filosofi dalam ubarampe kirab merti sumber desa Krowe Kecamatan Lembeyan Kabupaten Magetan. Jurnal Budaya Nusantara, 7(2), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.36456/JBN.vol7.no2.10099
Malarney, S. K. (2002). Culture, ritual and revolution in Vietnam. University of Hawai'i Press.
Mulyana, A. (2017). Sekaten tradition: The ritual ceremony in Yogyakarta as acculturation reality of Javanese culture in Indonesia. International Journal of Humanities & Social Science Studies, 6(2).
Mustofa, A. (2024). Budaya dan tradisi Keraton Yogyakarta dalam Itinéraire d'un voyage à Java en 1896. KLAUSA (Kajian Linguistik, Pembelajaran Bahasa, dan Sastra), 8(1), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.33479/klausa.v8i1.969
Nurkhayati, R., & Triwahana, T. (2021). Memaknai tradisi upacara labuhan Gunung Merapi dan pengaruhnya terhadap masyarakat Kinahrejo Cangkringan Sleman (1949-1953). Historical Studies Journal, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.31316/fkip.v3i2.2159
Nuzulanisa, K., & Fariha, Z. (2022). Religious pluralism in Labuhan Parangkusumo tradition: Communicating local Javanese wisdom and the moral message of the Qur'an. Muṣḥaf: Jurnal Tafsir Berwawasan Keindonesiaan, 3(1), 25–43. https://doi.org/10.33650/mushaf.v3i1.4301
Pratisara, D. (2020). Grebeg Maulud Yogyakarta sebagai simbol Islam Kejawen yang masih dilindungi oleh masyarakat dalam perspektif nilai Pancasila. Jurnal Pancasila, 1(2).
Rachman, A. A. (2012). Akulturasi Islam dan budaya masyarakat lereng Merapi Yogyakarta: Sebuah kajian literatur. Jurnal Indo-Islamika, 2 (2), 157–182. https://doi.org/10.15408/idi.v2i2.1173
Rahmawati, R., Adenan, A., & Ekowati, E. (2023). Tradisi suroan dan pengaruhnya terhadap keberagamaan masyarakat Dusun Bantan, Torgamba, Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Selatan. Edu Society: Jurnal Pendidikan, Ilmu Sosial dan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 2(2), 678–683. https://doi.org/10.56832/edu.v2i2.227
Rahmawati, R., & Setyani, T. (2019). Serat tata cara: The function of ubarampe nourishment in pregnancy ritual as Javanese ancestral heritage. In Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Language, Literature and Society for Education. 2nd Workshop on Language, Literature and Society for Education, Solok, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.21-12-2018.2282745
Reid, A. (1988). Southeast Asia in the age of commerce, 1450-1680: The lands below the winds. Yale University Press.
Sabila, S. M. (2021). Makna komunikasi ritual sedekah laut di Pantai Parangkusumo dalam melestarikan nilai-nilai budaya. Komunika, 4(2), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.24042/komunika.v4i2.9324
Schober, J. (2011). Modern Buddhist conjunctures in Myanmar: Cultural narratives, colonial legacies, and civil society. University of Hawai'i Press.
Septia, E. (2024). Makna ubarampe upacara ngitung batih bulan suro Kecamatan Dongko. Diwangkara: Jurnal Pendidikan, Bahasa, Sastra dan Budaya Jawa, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.60155/dwk.v3i2.365
Sukma, A. R. M. G., Untoro, H., Siswoyo, M., & Alya, N. N. (2023). Fragmen labuhan Merapi: Pengimplementasian folklor Ki Sapu Jagad dalam seni pertunjukan, beserta sejarah perkembangan dan pelestariannya (sebuah kajian budaya). Arnawa, 1(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.22146/arnawa.v1i1.11242
Supriyadi, H. (2000). Upacara Loy Kratong di Thailand dan upacara Labuhan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Humaniora, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.22146/jh.1290
Tjahjono, P. (2018). Peranan Kejawen dan Islam dalam praktik ziarah serta upacara Labuhan di Parangkusuma, Yogyakarta. Dunamis: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Kristiani, 3(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.30648/dun.v3i1.179
Turner, V. W. (1975). Dramas, fields, and metaphors: Symbolic action in human society. Cornell University Press.
Turner, V. W. (2011). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Transaction Publishers.
Tyas, R. A., Pujianto, P., & Suyanta, S. (2021). Caring for Labuhan Merapi tradition, one of the local wisdom-based disaster risk reduction efforts. Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture, 13(1).
Wahyuni, S., Alkaf, I., & Murtiningsih, M. (2020). Makna tradisi sesajen dalam pembangunan rumah masyarakat Jawa: Studi kasus pembangunan di Desa Srimulyo Kecamatan Air Saleh Kabupaten Banyuasin. El-Fikr: Jurnal Aqidah dan Filsafat Islam, 1(2).
Widyatwati, K., Dienaputra, R. D., Suganda, D., & Mamun, T. N. (2021). The teachings of character in local wisdom study on: Labuhan Alit Parangkusumo rituals. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.33403/rigeo.800517
Wirayudha, M. A. (2025). Tradisi penyediaan sesajen dalam pembacaan manakib pada masyarakat Banjar perspektif hukum Islam. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Jurisprudence, Economic and Legal Theory, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.62976/ijijel.v3i1.904
Woodward, M. R. (1989a). Islam in Java: Normative piety and mysticism in the sultanate of Yogyakarta. University of Arizona Press.
Woodward, M. R. (1989b). Islam in Java: Normative piety and mysticism in the sultanate of Yogyakarta. University of Arizona Press.
Yuwono, D. B. (2023). Transformasi spiritual masyarakat Jawa kontemporer: Eksistensi dan makna ritual di Parangkusumo. Panangkaran: Jurnal Penelitian Agama dan Masyarakat, 7(1), 31–57. https://doi.org/10.14421/panangkaran.v7i1.3142
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Farida Nur 'Afifah, Akhmad Aidil Fitra (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
