CULTURE AND LIFE
STYLE
THE TENGGERESE
Mount Bromo is not only a place of great
natural beauty but also the home of the Tenggerese, descendants of people from the ancient
14th century Hindu-Javanese kingdom of Majapahit who fled to the Tengger region in the
wake of Islam. Today, the Tenggerese make a living out of farming the region in which they
live, adhere to their old customs, and practice a religion which is a blend of Hinduism
and animism. The religion is quite bereft of ornamentation - rocks or trees may serve as a
place of worship.
Each year, on the 14th day of the last month of the,Tenggerese calendar a ceremony, called
the Kasada Festival, is held. Thousands of Tenggerese ascend Mount Bromo to pray and in-
voke the blessing of the gods in the form of good harvests or cures for certain physical
ailments. Offerings -- usually fruit, veg- etables, and fowl, sometimes even a bull, --
are thrown into the crater. This is not without risks: one wrong step on the porous
surface of the crater's inner slopes catl have fatal results. An ele- ment of competition
colours the ritual. The more offerings are thrown in by an individual, the greater the
blessings received. Another Tenggerese festival is the Karo Festival, or all soul's day,
during which priests and their assistants make house calls for prayer sessions after
villagers have had their ritual celebrations.
Social and Culture
Almost all of Probolinggo people are Moslems and its community is considered as a mixed
tribe and is interfered by European community which brings influences to its manners and
custom called MENDULANGAN. The tradition and culture of the people which are very
conspicuous, unique and specific are:
Traditional marriage ceremony, which was in
1989 it become one of the big ten nominators for East Java flexible local art.
Sya'banan Ceremony As is said for the
coastal people of Mayangan which most of them are fishermen, the ceremony means to express
their thanks to God as well as an expedient to avoid the danger from the sea.
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