The Javanese people and their culture?
Javanese people are a group of people who live on the island of Java, especially in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java,
While people in the area of West Java, they call themselves Sundanese and they are not part of the Javanese people, even though they also live in the western part of Java Island.
Why don’t the people of West Java want to be called Javanese?
because they think that there are many differences both in terms of culture and language
The origin of the Javanese
We can trace the origins of the Javanese from historical records which state that the Javanese are descendants of the Austronesian people
Whose ancestors are thought to have come from Taiwan and migrated through the Philippines to reach the island of Java between 1500 BC and 1000 BC.
Ancient Javanese kingdom
In ancient times the Javanese had a kingdom called ancient Mataram where the center of government was on the slopes of Mount Merapi
but then moved to East Java due to the eruption of Mount Merapi
In ancient times the religions of the majority of Javanese people were Hinduism and Buddhism
So that many temples were found on the island of Java and the famous ones were the Borobudur and Prambanan temples
This happened because at that time the Javanese had a lot of trade relations with India
Islam and Javanese
The arrival of Islam on the island of Java began with trade between the Javanese and traders from Arabia and Gujarat
Because of this trade cooperation, there was a lot of cultural assimilation, including in terms of religion
The island of Java underwent major changes along with the spread of Islam
many wars between kingdoms occurred on the island of Java, causing the collapse of the Majapahit empire
After the Majapahit Empire collapsed, the Demak Sultanate appeared
The Demak Sultanate was a new Javanese kingdom with Islamic nuances
So that the Mataram kingdom turned into an Islamic Mataram and the Javanese who were Hindu and Buddhist turned into Muslims.
Dutch colonial period
In 1619, the Dutch entered Java. Initially, they traded by opening a VOC office in Batavia
But then turned to colonialism, with the politics of divide et impera
the Dutch succeeded in making the Mataram kingdom civil war
To divide the Islamic Mataram kingdom into two kingdoms, namely the Yogyakarta and Surakarta sultanates
Javanese Culture and Religion
Javanese culture is closely related to Islam
although not all Javanese are Muslim
Some Javanese are Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and the ancestral religion of the Javanese in the past, namely Animism
there is also a mixture of Islam and Javanese culture which gave rise to a kind of belief called Kejawen
Kejawen as a way of life of the Javanese community
From ancient Kejawen texts, it can be seen that Kejawen is more in the form of art, culture, traditions, attitudes, rituals, and philosophy of the Javanese people.
Which, is inseparable from the spirituality of the Javanese.
Javanese people who believe in Kejawen are relatively obedient to their religion.
Where they continue to carry out religious orders and stay away from the prohibitions of their religion.
The way to do this is by caring for ourselves as native people.
Basically, the teachings of the Kejawen philosophy encourage humans to remain obedient to their God.
The relationship between Kejawen and other religions
Although at first, Kejawen emerged from acculturation between Islam and the beliefs of the ancient Javanese
Nowadays there are also many Javanese from Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist religions who also mix their religion with Kejawen
So Kejawen Christians, Kejawen Hindus, and Kejawen Buddhists emerged.
It is happening because now the Javanese people want to return to their early culture and ancestral beliefs but without leaving their religion
Javanese art and culture
Javanese people are very famous for their arts and culture
all you can see in dances, paintings, and the most famous is Batik
Javanese people are also known to hold cultural traditions such as at funerals or weddings, all of which are carried out with a special ritual
If you like culinary, the Javanese also have a variety of delicious culinary delights
So if you plan to visit Indonesia one day, make sure you visit Java Island as your tourist destination