Basuh Lantai Ceremony (Daik-Lingga, Riau Islands)

1. Background

Lingga is an island and regency in Riau archipelago province. Its capital city is Daik. People often call it Daik-Lingga (the names of the island and capital city are fusioned). Its people are mostly Moslems, they speak Malay, and have Malay culture. In Malay culture, people still believe in animism (although it is opposed by Islam), that is why they still believe in genies, mambang, gods (deo), jerambang, jembalang (ghost of soil/ghost which lives in the ground), and bunian people. They believe that these creatures can bring both prosperity and misfortune. To avoid the unwanted (disaster, misfortune), they hold a ceremony.

The ceremony is called “basuh lantai”. Basuh means wash/clean and lantai means floor, so basuh lantai means “cleaning the floor”. The ceremony is closed to a life cycle, especially birth. Other than that, people of Daik-Lingga believe that the floor has an inhabitant. They treat it the way they treat human. Therefore, if blood, especially from a woman who is delivering a baby, drops on the floor, they must ‘clean‘ it by water, oil, powder, and comb it. Or else, it will disturb not only the midwife (Mak Bidan/ Mak Dukun), but also the mother and the baby (the baby will not stop crying or fall ill). To save the lives of the mother, the baby, and the midwife, they hold a ceremony. This ceremony is not merely held to avoid the disturbance, but also to thank God for the save delivery.

The ceremony is held when the baby is 44 days old. Before that, the baby cannot touch the ground. Before that too, a mother and her baby cannot leave the house. But if for some reason the mother must leave the house, she has to carry whether a kancip (the tool used to split betel nut), a knife, or a nail with garlic on its edge. Meanwhile, a knife, a nail, or a piece of iron in any shape must be put beside the baby. This is meant to keep evil spirit away from the baby.

Friday is the day to hold the ceremony because according to the local belief, God blesses Friday. Usually, the ceremony is held in the morning because there will be a kenduri (feast) at noon. The ceremony is held on the floor in the delivery room. For this ceremony, relatives and neighbors are invited. Mak Dukun (the midwife (who helped the delivery)) and Pak Jantan (Mak Dukun‘s husband) lead the ceremony. While the kenduri is held in the living room and is led by the local ulama (religion (Islam) leader).

For the record, the relation between the future mother and the midwife is not happened only on the delivery day and ceremony day, but since the pregnancy is 7 months old. The future father came to the midwife‘s house bringing egg and sticky rice (pulut) as requirements so that she would help his wife delivering her baby. This process is called “menepah”. Since that, the future mother and father came to the midwife‘s house every Friday bringing a bottle of water and three limes. The midwife put spell on the water and the limes so that the future mother can use them to take a bath for three days.

2. Equipment

Things needed in the basuh lantai ceremony are:

• a plate of rice/ yellow sticky rice (yellow pulut : made of glutinous rice and turmeric for the color), a plate of serabi and the gravy (cake made of rice flour mixed with coconut milk), and a plate of cooked fish (with gravy) on it;
• one half-peeled coconut;
• a candle;
• a mirror and comb;
• a scissor
• 7 meters white yarn
• a chicken (a hen for a boy child, a rooster for a girl child);
• a plate of unhulled rice and a plate of white hulled rice;
• a sour lime;
• a small bowl of langi oil (made of gambier, tamarind, betel, and lime that are pounded together);
• a small bowl of tamarind;
• water put in a bowl made of clay

Melayu- Daik people believe that chicken is sensitive, that it can sense spirit. They also believe that jembalang (ghost which lives in the ground) will forgive them and not disturb the baby if they sacrifice chicken.

Things needed in the kenduri: 

• 10 trays (depends on the host prosperity) with a plate of 25 ketupats (made of glutinous rice. It is made stuffed and the shape is like parallelogram) on each tray
• a plate of chicken curry
• a plate of shrimp curry
• a plate of nut spicy sauce
• a plate of  relish of grated coconut and spices
• a plate of coconut spicy sauce

For host who cannot afford all, will get help from the neighbors. The help could be money or cooking ingredients (rice, sugar, coconut, etc).

3. The Procedure

After all things needed for the ceremony are ready, they are brought to the ceremony place (the delivery room). The mother sits on the bed with her baby, while Mak Dukun and Pak Jantan (the midwife and her husband) sit on the floor. The ceremony begins with Qoran reading (Al Fatihah scripture) by Pak Jantan.  Then, he prays for the mother, the baby, and the family so they are spared from all bad things, while Mak Dukun puts a large water jar (tempayan) in front of Pak Jantan. Meanwhile, in front of Mak Dukun herself there is a tray with 4 clods of yellow pulut, a cup of red porridge, 2 sour limes which have been split into four for each, a small cup of tamarind, 4 serabis, and a bowl of langi oil. While washing her hands with water, Mak Dukun is praying, and then rubbing the floor.

After the floor is considered clean, Mak Dukun (while casting a spell) rubs it with pulut, serabi, sour lime, and tamarind, and pours the oil langi onto the floor. Then she cleans the remaining with water. After that, the floor is scratched using comb and mirror.

The ceremony continues with bathing (pemandian).  The baby is on the mother‘s lap, and Mak Dukun blows on the baby‘s ears and body three times. Then she takes the baby from the mother and pours the baby with water that has been mixed with the juice of soar lime. After that, she gives the baby back to the mother and the process is repeated two more times. After that, the baby is given to the grandmother, so the grandmother can wipe the baby with towel, then powder and dress the baby. While the grandmother is doing that, the mother sits on the floor so Mak Dukun can bathe her with water mixed with the juice of soar lime three times. After the bathing is finished, the mother carries her baby and sits on the bed. Mak Dukun brings close a chicken (hen for baby boy, rooster for baby girl) to the baby. If it pecks the rice on the mother‘s palm, it is a good sign. But if it pecks the baby, it is a bad sign. Therefore, usually the mother hands the rice to the chicken so it will not peck her baby.

The next process in the ceremony is jumping/leaping yarn (lompat tiung) outside the room. The mother is standing and carrying her baby, and then the yarn is draped around her neck. Mak Dukun and Pak Jantan are standing by the mother‘s left and right sides. After the praying (by Pak Jantan), they throw rice, and coins at the mother‘ and baby‘s feet seven times. This means that life in this world is only temporary. One day everyone comes back to God. Therefore, we should always remember Him. Then, the mother should leap on a rope or three yarns. This means that obstacles are always around people‘s life. That is why we have to be alert/ careful. It is hoped that later, the child can overcome all obstacles in life.

The next is circling (pemutaran/pengelilingan) a coconut with flaming candle on it around the mother from right to left and the other way. The circling is done by Mak Dukun and Pak Jantan. Each of them is circling the coconut around the mother three times. Coconut can grow anywhere and can be cooked in any way (food and drink). By circling the coconut, they hope that the child can live/survive anywhere and be useful for the society. Candle means light in life. They hope that the child always in the right path no matter what.

After that is smearing langi oil on the mother and her baby. This is done to clean them from the evil spirit‘s disturbance and to ward off misfortune. Then, the yarn necklace is cut with fire with the hope that the child survives from any obstacle. The already burned candle‘s wick is shattered and smeared on the mother‘s and the baby‘s eyebrows as a pray that the mother and the child walk the bright straight path, always do good deeds, and avoid the bad things.

Continued with the cutting of the mother‘s and the baby‘s hair to throw their negative aspects away. It also means that the baby now can be taken out of the house and touch the ground. Then, rice is poured onto the child as a hope that this child will get many blessings and be prosper. After that, a coconut is shaken beside the baby‘s ears to remind that life keeps going on like a coconut shoot that keeps growing up, so the child must be careful in life.

At noon, the kenduri, which is held as thanksgiving to God, begins. For this feast, relatives and neighbors are invited. The local ulama (lebai) leads the kenduri. He leads the prayer and after the prayer finishes, people can feast together. After all guests have gone home, the host gives hantaran, a gift to bring home (food, a chicken, a piece of cloth, and some amount of money), to Mak Dukun.

4. Prayer-spell

5. Cultural values

There are few values from the basuh lantai ceremony: togetherness, accuracy, hard work, mutual cooperation, carefulness, safety, determination, and religion.

The value of togetherness can be seen in the gathering of the society in the same room praying for everybody‘s safety.

The value of accuracy can be seen through the ceremony process itself. The process needs preparation (before, during, and after the ceremony). The preparation does not only include the equipments, but also place, time, and the people (whoever involves in the procession). Everything must be prepared well so that the ceremony goes well and smooth. Therefore, carefulness is needed.  

The value of hard work can be seen in the series of activity in lompat tiung. As it has been explained above, leaping yarn means we have to work hard to overcome all obstacles in life.

The value of mutual cooperation can be seen in the involvement of many people in the ceremony process. They help each other for it.

The value of carefulness can be seen through the bathing or the rice pouring, and the coconut shaking. Life goes on just like a coconut shoot keeps growing. A child must be careful to survive life.

The value of safety can be seen from their belief in life circle. It is full of danger and challenge. To deal with the life circle crisis, they hold a ceremony (basuh lantai) to survive every stage of childhood life.

The religious value is in the every prayer (for asking blessings for the host, for thanksgiving to God) in the basuh lantai ceremony. It can also be seen in the requirement for the chicken (a boy child gets a hen, a girl child gets a rooster). This means that God creates anything and everything in this world in couples.

The value of determination is in the smearing of  shattered candle‘s wick on the eyebrows as a hope that they are determined to walk in the right path, to hold tight on the society‘s rules, norms, and values.

(TL/ter/10/12-07) 

References:

Galba, Sindu, Dibyo Harsono, dkk. 2001. Upacara Tradisional Di Daik Lingga. Tanjungpinang: Bappeda Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau dan Balai Kajian Sejarah dan Nilai Tradisional Tanjungpinang.

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