Chapter Seven - Life-Cycle Rituals: Marriage and Death, Getting Together in Joy and Sadness

Summary

From life-cycle rituals marking birth, childhood and adolescence, the first part of this chapter moves on to the next stage, marriage, and describes village gatherings prior to the marriage ceremony. I focus on the procedures around the marriage ceremony, from engagement, bride-wealth delivery to the reception. The final stage is death and, in the next section, the mortuary ritual for the deceased will be recorded and analysed. This section discusses the theological grounds for conducting the ritual and the criticism of the way it is practised has attracted from reformist Muslim circles. I show how powerful and controversial protocols are being shaped by the influences of the reformist members of the Muhammadiyah. The major rituals of marriage and death have emerged as potential arenas for argument, ambiguity and dissent. Despite the fact that rituals unite all villagers, the meaning of the ritual expressed by individuals in the village is varied, particularly among those whose religious practice is traditional compared with those who are more committed to religious purification. I observed the way local Muslims demonstrate their agency and the meanings of life-cycle rituals related to marriage and death, for example. The marriage ceremony is a moment of joy, while the mortuary ritual is about sorrow.

Returning to the ritual for the newborn baby, it was already midnight at the ceremony when Muma Yamin reminds us of the time to go home. It is not uncommon in village ritual (Bim.: rawi rasa) for the attendees to stay up late (Ind.: begadang) at the house of the host, playing dominos or simply conversing with each other on a gamut of topics, ranging from social to political gossip. In this case, the host supplied coffee and snacks, supplementing those already provided earlier in the ceremony. This hospitality put the guests even more at their ease and encouraged them to remain longer. The attendees who stayed on were entertained at the expense of the host who put on a number of traditional performances. Attending this ceremony for a newborn baby enabled me acquire easy access into the social interaction of the villagers. I thanked Muma Yamin for his company at the ceremony, and after that I was pretty well accepted in the village.