Bifurcation of the Taboo in The Keba Ritual in Kecitran Village, Purwareja Klampok District, Banjarnegara District

Abstract

Mitoni is a traditional Javanese custom carried out during the first pregnancy when a woman enters her seventh month. In Javanese terms, mini means pint or seven. The Javanese people believe this tradition to be a form of prayer so that the baby-to-be and the pregnant mother will be safe and make the birth process easier. And the child she was carrying was born safely and piously (Mustaqim, 2017:122). In the people of Kecitran Village, the monthly nujuh tradition is known as keba. Local people use the term keba more often than mitoni. Keba itself has been preserved for a long time by the elders of the Kecitran community. In Kecitran, the keba tradition is carried out during a woman's first pregnancy seven months into her pregnancy. In contrast, in the second and subsequent pregnancies, the term Selamatetan is used. This difference can be seen from a series of rituals carried out. The keba tradition has many series, whereas Selamatetan is just praying and eating together. Still, the aim and objective remain the same, namely so that the baby and pregnant mother are given safety until the birth procession, and the child born can respect the parents (asking the good ones). The series of keba implementation in Kecitran Village consists of siraman, tahlilan, food thanksgiving, coin distribution, bridal nggolet, welut ransom, tumpeng fight, and mbalang watu. These are some of the series carried out by pregnant women, usually following the midwife's directions in Kecitran Village. The dukun also plays a role in the pregnancy process of pregnant women in Kecitran Village, such as massaging during pregnancy (whether they are still pregnant or having given birth later), making sambetan for the pregnant mother and the baby to be born, and burying the placenta is done by the shaman. Because local people have more trust and confidence in traditional birth attendants who, according to them, have experience in this matter. Not everyone can become a midwife because only those with offspring can become one. Because being a midwife has been passed down by one's elders, it is not just anyone; apart from that, it is also because there is a connection between the mind of the elder and the one they have inherited (Interview with midwife, Saturday, February 15, 2024).