Ngarot traditional art

Ngarot is a tradition that still exists in one area in Indramayu, West Java, Indonesia, precisely located in Lelea village.

Ngarot in Sundanese is known as "ngaleueut", which means drinking or enjoying a meal.

Ngarot itself has the meaning of giving thanks for the arrival of the rice planting season, and for Ngarot in 2023, the Lelea community will hold it in December,

In 1985, a legendary shop called Kapol founded a tradition that we often hear about, namely Ngarot.

In ancient times, this figure was known to have voluntarily donated 26,100 m2 of rice fields as a form of realization of the Ngarot event for the Lelea community.

According to parents in the Lelea area, they told stories about Ki Kapol not having children and as proof of his love for the village youth, he donated a plot of land to be cultivated by young people.

For people who participate in this event, such as local people, women and men who are still single.

In the Ngarot event the girls looked beautiful and added an even more beautiful impression to their heads. These girls wore crowns made from various kinds of flowers, such as ylang ylang flowers, the fragrant smell of these flowers added a strong sacred atmosphere to the Ngarot procession, the girls who Participating in this event is often called a casinoman and the men wear traditional clothes, namely black camboran (traditional farmer's clothing)

During the Ngarot procession, gamelan music and wailing sinden vocals continue to accompany the Ngarot ceremony and there is a Ronggeng Tap Dance performance which is always held every year.

What is Ronggeng Tap Dance?

The Ronggeng Tap Dance in the Ngarot Ceremony in Lelea Village is a paired dance composition, which is an art that is similar to the Ketuk Tilu art in other areas. The name Ronggeng Tap consists of two words, namely Ronggeng and Tap. Ronggeng is a dancer who can sing and dance. The name Tap itself is related to the name of one of the instruments that accompanies this art, namely a cemplon or tap consisting of 3 pieces. The presence of the Ronggeng Tap Dance in the Ngarot Ceremony greatly influences the course of the ceremony, because the Ronggeng Tap Dance is one of the ritual tools in the Ngarot ceremony.

The Handover Procession Consists of:

1. Mr. Kuwu or the local village head hands over a jug filled with water, meaning the seeds are to be planted and distributed

2. Ibu Kuwu or the village head's wife hands over a jug filled with water, the purpose of which is to treat the rice plants that have been planted as a symbol of irrigation.

3. Village elders hand over fertilizer, the intention is to ensure the plants remain fertile.

4. Raksa Bumi handed over agricultural tools, the aim of which was to cultivate the agricultural land well.

5. Lebe or you could say religious leaders in Indramayu handed over pieces of yellow bamboo, androing leaves and banana leaves which would be stuck in the rice fields, with the intention of protecting the rice plants from pest attacks.

Ngarot is basically a traditional cultural art inherited from our ancestors, this tradition is celebrated every year, and is usually held at the village hall

with this tradition we can preserve one of the cultures in Indonesia, ngarot can also strengthen ties between communities, mutual cooperation, foster a love of farming, so that local youth continue to preserve it or can become farmers.

This is one of the arts in Indonesia, thank you for reading this article, see you in the next article