Infobudaya.net – December is a special month for Christians and also all levels of society. The celebration of Christmas along with the turn of the year makes society united in welcoming December. However, this month also often triggers friction that is considered to disrupt diversity.

Terrorist acts are the main factor in breaking up the values ​​of diversity. Terrorism with the embellishment of certain religions and cultures, causes tension in society. The embellishments brought by terrorists make society throw negative perceptions between religions and cultures. That way, society is divided in a prolonged manner and tension usually increases before Christmas and New Year.

Christmas and New Year celebrations need to be under the auspices of culture and traditions that are uniting. Society needs a shared tradition to welcome Christmas and New Year. Traditions such as Badendang Rotang from Maluku can be an example to apply. Badendang Rotang is a combination of the “Badendang” tradition with “Hela Rotan” which is usually held during the new year.

Badendang is a tradition of dancing and singing together by the Maluku people which is usually done after midnight. This tradition is usually held to unite two families who want to hold a wedding. Meanwhile, Hela Rotan, according to the Kemendikbudristek website, is a tradition of making a long rope made of rattan which will later be used to play a kind of tug of war. Based on history, this tradition exists to unite 4 tribes in Maluku, namely Patuanan Latu Sinai from Negeri Aboru, Patuanan Latuconsina in Negeri Pelauw, Patuanan Latu Marawakan in Negeri Oma, and Patuanan Latu Surinai in Negeri Rohomoni.

Badendang Rotang has been proven to always maintain the harmony of the Maluku people. Kastanya (2014) said that there are 3 values ​​contained in the Badendang tradition; family values, love values, and social values. In essence, as a function to unite two or more families, and entertain the community. Meanwhile, Hela Rotan contains the value of togetherness which will later be embedded in the next generation (Talapessy, 2023). This is because the egos of each tribe are accommodated in a tradition where healthy competition builds bonds of brotherhood.

The concept of the Badendang Rotang tradition can be used as an example of a Christmas and New Year celebration event in Indonesia. Of course, there are adjustments or modifications to the Badendang Rotang concept depending on the cultural conditions of each region. Rather than throwing out negative perceptions at each other, it is better to hold an event concept that is competitive and also entertaining. Each region can hold a competition for several days in December that builds the value of togetherness. Then, it ends with an entertaining event on New Year’s Eve. That way, Christmas and New Year become celebrations that build Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, no longer an annual event that is divisive. Therefore, Indonesian people need to emulate the Badendang Rotang tradition to create religious and cultural harmony during Christmas and New Year events.

References:

Kastanya, Helmina. “Tatabuang Manare dan Badendang dalam Pesta Pernikahan Masyarakat Pulau Ambon.” Sirok Bastra 2, no. 2 (2014): 185-192.

Marchiantalahatu. 2020. “Tradisi Hela Rotan Masyarakat Aboru.” Balai Pelestarian Nilai Budaya Maluku. April 16, 2020. https://kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id/bpnbmaluku/tradisi-hela-rotan-masyarakat-aboru/.

Talapessy, Glefi Milian. “Tradisi Hela Rotan sebagai Ruang Liminalitas Masyarakat Aboru.” PhD diss., 2023.

Women’s obsession. 2020. “Sambut Tahun Baru Di Maluku.” Sambut Tahun Baru Di Maluku. January 28, 2020. https://www.womensobsession.com/detail/724/sambut-tahun-baru-di-maluku.

Yulita Titik, Sunarimahingsih, Yustina Trihoni Nalesti Dewi, and B. Tyas Susanti. “Katalog Simbol Adat di kota Ambon.” (2019).

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