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Java Catholics purge bad luck

Traditional ritual aims to give participants a brighter future and better fortune.

Superstitious Javanese Catholics gathered on Tuesday at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Kumetiran, Yogyakarta, for a ruwatan — a traditional ritual to free people from bad luck and misfortune.

Parish priest Father Simon Atas Wahyudi led 68 people in honoring their parents, cutting their hair and having water sprinkled on their heads. A shadow puppet show followed the traditional ritual.

According to Father Wahyudi, participating in a ruwatan“doesn’t mean we don’t have God’s protection, because we are already baptized.”

He said Javanese Catholics joining the cleansing ritual should keep their faith and express love and hope.

A popular ruwatan conducted since ancient time is Ruwatan Murwakala, aimed at cleansing the bodies and souls of those with sukerta – bad luck or bad fate.

Sukerta has three categories: sukerta due to birth, sukertadue to accidents, and sukerta due to bad fate. Gedhana-gedhini, or the only boy and a girl in the family, is considered sukerta due to birth.

Roswita Mangiasih, 24, said she felt relieved after participating in the ritual.

“I am the first child in my family and I have one brother. My taking part in this ruwatan was to preserve Javanese tradition,” she said.

TRADITIONAL RITE USED TO EXORCISE NATION FROM MISFORTUNE

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