Thousands of People Attend "Grebeg Maulud" in Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta (Antara) - On Tuesday, thousands of people from the neighboring areas amassed to attend the annual traditional ceremony of "Grebeg Maulud" organized by the Sultanate of Yogyakarta in central Java, to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad. The highlight of the ceremony was a parade in which three piles made from the local harvest, called "gunungan", were carried through the North Square of the Palace to the Grand Mosque located in the western part of the square. The march was led by the traditional soldiers of the Yogyakarta Sultanate such as the Wirobrojo, Daeng, Patangpuluh, Jogokaryo, Prawirotomo, Nyutro, Ketanggung, Mantrijero, Bugis, and Surokarso. Palace soldiers, seated on four elephants, led the parade and were the special attraction for the spectators. On their arrival at the mosque, the gunungans were blessed by the clerics. The people then thronged to receive their share of the gunungans, which they believed was a kind of blessing for them. Among the local harvest piled up in the gunungans, were beans and fruits. Sumarjo, a resident of nearby Klaten District, stated that he and his family had come to the square since early morning to witness the ceremony, which marks the peak of a month-long night market held at the square. Parjo from Seyegan, in the district of Sleman, noted that he had always attended the fun-filled ceremony every year. "I come along with the children to watch the fun-filled ceremony. I did not come to the mosque to compete for the gunungangs because it gets very crowded. I would feel sorry for my children if they had to jostle with the crowds for getting their share of the gunungangs," he remarked. "I have come since early morning, but a lot of people were already present there, and hence, I could only watch from afar," he stated. He further added that he, along with his wife and three children were happy, as they had witnessed the parade. (*) Reporting by Heri Sidik