"Megengan"
Tradition Welcoming the Month of Ramadhan
Megengan
is Javanese tradition in welcoming the month of Ramadhan. Megengan taken from
the Java language, which means hold. It is a reminder that soon will enter the
month of Ramadan, the month in which Muslims are required to fast, is not to
restrain acts which can abort the fasting. Megengan tradition is synonymous with
a typical street, the cake “apem”.
Megengan
usually done before the last week in the month of Sha'ban. Javanese people
usually flock to the grave pilgrimage, clean it and strew flowers on it and do
not forget there is also a pray for him as well as some that read Yasin and
tahlil. Then cook to share with relatives and in the evening held a feast with
salvation or invite the neighbors to pray for the family of the deceased.
This
tradition is the heritage that has been duly maintained and preserved. it
contains values that are
really quite remarkable as well how to relate between human and the other human,
between human and God.
Javanese
Islam does have a lot of traditions that are typical in the implementation of
Islam in tradition megengan. This is
indeed one of the typical traditions that are not owned by Muslims elsewhere.
