A life with batik

Sun, 02/15/2009 11:48 AM | Lifestyle

The stages range from mitoni where in the seventh month of pregnancy, a woman is bathed 7 times in water from 7 different sources perfumed with pink and white rose petals and then is draped in 7 times in 7 different batiks symbolizing the happiness of being a mother, love and patience, faith in God, nobility of the soul, excellence, an easy delivery and prosperity.

These are the batiks, sido mukti, babon angrem, wahyu tumurun, nogosari, udan liris, semen rama. The seventh textile is not really a batik but a hand-woven striped cotton lurik.
Kelahiran when the baby is lain upon a batik worn by her or his grandmother, generally a batik with the motif sido adih, symbolising the hope that the baby will live as long as the grandmother.
Ari-ari is when the placenta which is considered to be the younger brother of the baby is buried near the house with many offerings by the father wearing a parang rusak if he is noble, or sido mulyo if he is a commoner.
Tarapan is when on the day of her first period, a girl is wrapped in a batik grompol symbolising joy and peacefulness.
Khitanan is when towards the age of eleven, a young boy on the day of his circumcision wears a batik parang pamor signifying that he will become a handsome man and a good spirit.
Lamaran when a young girl is to be asked in marriage, the parents of the young man come clothed according to their rank either in a batik parang, semen or ceplok.
Siraman when during the ritual bathing before the marriage ceremony, the parents wear a batik nitik cakar expressing the hope that the young couple will be able to earn their living and will not depend on them.
Akad Nikah when during the marriage contract, the young bride-groom wears a batik sido mulyo, symbol of maternal satisfaction and spiritual accomplishment.
Kawin mawin when during the wedding, the parents of the young bride wear a batik truntum, expressing the hope that the new young couple will live and grow old together in harmony without any separation except for death.
Kematian on the day of the funeral, the corpse is wrapped in a white textile, mori, cotton used as the base for batik, and then the coffin is covered by a batik kawung symbolising the return to the world of hidden wonders.