WAYANG : KEEP IT OR WE WILL LOSE IT

Are you familiar with Gathutkaca, Arjuna, or Rama-Shinta? Yes, they are some characters in wayang platform. However, some of them are rarely appear because it is very difficult to find wayang show now. Wayang is a beautiful art which a heritage from our great-grandparents. I have seen some reasons why we should keep wayang culture. Then, I think we must do something to keep wayang’s eternality.
First, wayang is our original culture. This statement was said by Brandes, Hazeu, and Ranse. They said, “In wayang’s grow always defend its genuine without acculturation by foreign culture.” The story which use in wayang show is appropriate with our local culture. The story is original story was made by our great-grandparents. For example is the story about Gathutkacacraya by Mpu Panuluh.
Second, wayang has social culture function. Wayang usually used in ritual ceremony like: wedding ceremony, tingkeban, puput puser, khitanan, ruwatan, etc. In ruwatan ceremony, the story in wayang performance are Parta Krama (Arjuna’s wedding), Jaladara Rabi (Baladewa’s wedding), or Suyudena Rabi (Suyudena’s wedding). Tingkeban is a ceremony at the seven month of the pregnant. The stories in wayang performance which use in Tingkeban ceremony are Gathutkaca Lair (Gathutkaca’s birth) or Parikesit Lair (Parikesit’s birth). Those stories in wayang show as a happiness symbolization in each ceremony.
Next, wayang is used as education and communication. For the Javanese people, wayang is a way to give information like in the Kresna Duta story. Kresna Duta is a story about how the Javanese people solve the problem in society by discussion. As education function, we can get life value from the story in wayang. As a symbolization, dalang is a symbol of God, debog (banana’s stem for wayang stage) is a symbol of earth where we life, blencong (footlights) is a symbol of the sun, and wayang is a symbol of us.
Finally, wayang shows have life value. The values are: religious-magic value, philosophy value, and art value. The art values in wayang include literature art, folkdance art, drama art, and music art. The wayang performance is unity of art value. Literature and drama art is the story in wayang performance. Folkdance art is the sinden (singer in wayang show). Music art is a unity of the song by sinden and music instrumental by gamelan (Java’s instrument music).
Overall, we know that wayang is a very beautiful culture from our great-grandparents. Wayang is not only a culture but also the way to learn life values. So, we must keep wayang eternality. The eternality of wayang is depending on us. Let us keep wayang!!