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Thousands of people consisting of the sentono dalem (nobility of royal lineage) and abdi dalem (royal household employees) of the Surakarta Sunanate as well as the local community participated in the the Selikuran Night Ting Parade held by the Surakarta Sunanate on Mar. 20, 2025 to commemorate the 21st day of Ramadan.
The parade started at around 20.00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) after the salat tarawih prayer was finished. Participants walked from Kori Kamandungan, the front part of the Surakarta Sunanate Palace complex, along Slamet Riyadi Road to Sriwedari Park about 3 kilometers away.
In front of of the parade is the parade drumline trailed by palace troops. Just behind them was SISKS Pakubuwana XIII, the Sunan of Surakarta, with his queen-consort GKR Pakubuwana in a car alongside the parade. After them are the abdi dalem carrying ting, the parade's characteristic lanterns.
Following the abdi dalem were several horse-drawn carriages ridden by sentono dalem, who were followed by abdi dalem carrying several jodang (wooden chests with openings allowing them to be carried by bamboo poles) containing tumpeng sewu (one thousand tumpeng, cone-shaped Javanese rice dish). Trailing them is a group of residents carrying oncor (bamboo torches) and tambourines.
Pengageng Sasana Wilapa Keraton Surakarta Hadiningrat KPA Dany Nur Adiningrat said that the Selikuran Night Ting Parade is one of the traditional ceremonies that combines cultural and religious traditions, in this case Islam.
"Like in previous years during the month of Ramadan, Keraton Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat holds the Selikuran Night event for the Je 1958 year [of the Javanese calendar] on the command Sampeyan Dalem Ingkang Sinuhun Kanjeng Susuhunan (SIKS) Pakubuwana XIII," he explained.
KPA Dany elaborated the selikuran night is a reminder for Muslims that Ramadan is entering its final ten nights, one of which includes the Laylat al-Qadr that Muslims believe to be when the Qur'an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is also known as the Night of 1,000 Months, as the rewards for acts of worship done in that night equals that of 1,000 months.
"This series of ceremonies proceeds from Keraton Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat to the Kagungan Dalem Bon Raja Sriwedari. The procession will include abdi dalem carrying tumpeng sewu, which signifies the Night of 1,000 Months, and [carrying] ting which symbolizes the light of said night. Therefore, this is a religious ceremony with cultural elements to remind that Laylat al-Qadr at the nights of off dates [among the last 10 days of Ramadan]," he said.
After arriving at Sriwedari Park, the Selikuran Night Ting Parade procession group was welcomed by Surakarta Mayor Respati Ardi. Then the tumpeng sewu was distributed and ritually fought over by residents who had been waiting for them. The event was continued with a religious study led by K.H. Ahmad "Gus" Muwafiq, head of the Minggir Islamic Boarding School.
