A Glimpse of Ceribon City
Ceribon, with a
population of about 300,000, is one of West Java’s
more important cities. Located on the north coast of
Java about 138 kilometers east of Bandung, the
capital of West Java, and about 250 kilometers east
of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia..., it is the
main hub connecting Bandung and Jakarta with other
cities in Central and East Java.
Origin of the
name Ceribon
The name Ceribon
translates to ‘Shrimp River’, ci is Sundanese
for river and rebon means shrimp, for which the town
is well-know. Or, Ceribon could come from Caruban
which is a Sundanese word translating to ’mixture’.
Indeed, Ceribon does enjoy a wide mix of cultures
and traditions, retaining European, Arabic, Chinese,
Javanese, and Sundanese in blend peculiar to Ceribon.
Ceribon presents a
true prtrait of a multi-cultural lifestyle as
intended in the national motto of Bhinneka Tunggal
Ika: Unity in Diversity.
Economy and
Industry
Ceribon has great
business potential. It has the only ocean harbor
serving domestic and international trade in the
province of west Java. This harbor, called Pelabuhan
Tanjung Emas (Golden Cape Harbor), is supported by a
seaport and other facilities, which make Ceribon
well-suited for West Java’s commercial activities.
Many products, made locally and outside Ceribon, are
exported from here by land and sea. Furthermore,
Ceribon boasts a government-built industrial estate
for small and medium-sized industries.
Ceribon’s many
industries offer considerable potential for
employment and for sustaining the local economy.
Amongst these are light-industrial factories
producing sugar, cigarettes, cement, cloth, batik
and rattan. The town and its industrial areas are
reasonably clean, cleaner the most other industrial
cities in Indonesia, although there is still some
air pollution arising from said countries. Ceribon
is also well-stocked with hotels of various classes
and cinemas. The educational industry has made some
progress as well, with the establishment of a
substantial number of educational institutions,
including those teaching foreign languages (English,
Arabic) and several pesantren (blamic
boarding schools). Two private universities, the
Univarsitas Swadayta Gunung Jati (UNSWAGATI), have
been founded to facilitate higher education for the
people of Ceribon and vicinity.
There is also one
particular artistic industry with growth potential:
the batik industry. Ceribon has its own unique style
of batik which reflects influences from west and
Central Java and the Middle East.
City of Culture
and Tourism
The people of
Ceribon are culturally different from those of the
rest of West Java. Although they do live in West
Java, which is basically Sundanese, the Ceribonese
speak what is called bahasa Jawa Pesisir (Coastal
Javanese) and practice a culture that is
predominately, but as already said, not exclusively,
Javanese-Sundanese.
Ceribon is also only
city in province of West Java still having royal
palaces, keraton. It is also one of the
earliest cities on Java to adopt Islam through the
efforts of Syarif Hidayatullah, also known as Sunan
Gunung Jati, one of the walisongo or ‘nine
Muslim religious leaders’, who lived in the 15th
century. He took over the government of Ceribon in
1479. From here, the venerable Sunan helped to
spread the faith farther inland. Sunan Gunung Jati’s
tomb is located inside Astana Gunung Jati, which is
about 7 km. north of Ceribon and is a popular
destination for pilgrims and tourists to this day.
Ceribon has been in
existence since approximately 1378 AD when it was
proclaimed the Kingdome of Ceribon by King Cakrabumi,
whose reign name was Cakrabuana, ‘axis of the
universe’. So, it has many historical sites to offer
tourists. It was the capital of Islamic sultanates,
represented by three palaces: those of the Kasepuhan
(the senior royal line), the Kanoman (the younger
royal line) and the Kacirebonan. Of these the
Keraton Kasepuhan was built in the 15th
century. The structure displays strong Indic
influence but is decorated with Chinese ceramics of
the Ming dynasty. In the palace museum are a number
of sacred heirlooms or pusaka, the most
striking of which is the Singa Barong (lion)
carriage dating black to 1549 AD.
The Keraton
Kasepuhan is the site of an important annual event
celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed (peace
be upon him), or Mauludan, which occurs on the
twelfth day of the month of Maulud on the Islamic
calendar. Included in this is the ritual cleansing
and parading of the sacred heirlooms, the jimat,
which are special platters and bowls, some dating to
the Ming dynasty, kerises (Javanese daggers), kujang
( ashorter version of the keris), and tombak
(spears), among others. The platters and bowls from
China are decorated with the Islamic creed (kalimah
shahadah) as well as the Ayat Qursiy from the Quran
(verse 255 from the surah Al-baqarah), both in the
Arabic script.
The display of the
sacred heirlooms on the occasion of the birthday of
the Prophet Mohammed, called Panjang Jimat in
Ceribon (panjang, pajang=sacred protective objects)
is an event of great attraction, drawing visitors
from all over Java and even abroad.
Ceribon has a number
of other interesting celebrations of both ancient
traditional and Islamic origin, as well as various
art forms. Among the latter are some unique dances,
including mask-dances, dances displaying
supernatural power, and tarling music.
Rampak Topeng
The Rampak Topeng is
a mask-dance in which the performer falls under the
influence the particular mask s/he is wearing. Each
of a number of different masks has its own
character, which is reflected in the dancer’s
movements.
Kuda Lumping and
Debus
The Kuda Lumping
and Debus are performances in which the actors use
apparently magical skills to perform incredible
acts, such as eating shreds of glass and whipping
themselves, without harm. While the Kuda Lumping
appears to be of local Javanese origin and involves
the entrancement of the performers, the Debus is of
Islamic origin and is practiced in Muslim
communities in other countries.
Sintren
Sintren, or Lais, as
it is also known, also contains an element of magic
or supernatural power. A young girl, her hands tied
together behind her back, becomes entranced as she
dances to the accompaniment of music. At a certain
point, she sits down and her helpers cover her with
a plaited bamboo chicken coop and then a cloth to
hide her from view. Beside her in the coop is a
complete set of clothing. After a few songs from
musicians, the cloth and coop are lifted off to
reveal the child with her hands still tied, but
dressed in her clothing. She performs several other
tricks, such as moving invisibly from one covered
coop or cupboard to another, then a final dance,
when the audience begins pelting her with coins,
called saweran. The first coin that hits her
causes her to fall down and regain consciousness.
Tarling
The word Tarling
comes from the words gitar (guitar) and suling
(flute). It is a form of music unique to Ceribon, a
combination of the two instruments on the Sundanese
five-note scale, producing beautiful music. One
tarling artist to gain a national reputation is
Haji Abdul Adjib, owing to his hit Warung Pojok
(corner shop). The Haji is also a preacher who
studied at the Buntet Islamic School, or Pesantren
Buntet, in Ceribon under the leadership of the
nationally known Kyai Haji Fuad Hasyim.
