Nyongkolan,celebration and united of two family in wedding

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

             In Sasak tribe traditional wedding ceremony,there is a phase that called 'nyongkolan', after the couple were pronounce as husband and wife, at the same day the couple went in a procession from the groom's  house to the bride's house,people who accompanying the couple were the groom's family,the neghbours and friends and also a group of local music such as gendang beleq and kecimol,these phase is also some kind an anouncement to the people along the way that these two people (the couple) were alreday becoming husband and wife.
              The couple were treated like king and queen for a day,they were walking along with gendang beleq or kecimol accompaniment until they reach to the bride's house using sasak traditional clothes,but today this tradition is already a little bit changing and had some modification,people no longer playing traditional sasak song using traditional music instrument,but the playing modern music like dangdut music or even pop music while the youth in the parade dancing along the way.

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

           This procession usually held during the weekend,so if we take a ride along the villages in Lombok in the weekend we would find the procession in few places,we would find crowd of people who watching it and it could caused traficc jam for few kilometres.
     For some people this procession is sacred,they believe if the procession didn't held after the wedding,something bad is gonna happen to the couple in their marriage life,so they have to do it even on the poured rain.

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Pink Beach,coloured sand beach under the sun

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

            One of many beautiful beaches that shouldn't be miss to visit when you came to Lombok is pink beach,actuall name of the beach is Tangsi,Tangsi itself mean barrack,because during the world war II, this location becoming barrack for Japanese soldiers, they're build caves for defense,as a proof we can fine the cannons and caves as their herritance.People called pink because the colour of the sand on the beach.It coloured pink from the colour from the coral flake that mix with the sand,it would be more clearly to see if we see it on a bright daylight under the sun. Located on the east side of the island,on Sekaroh village,Jerowaru district,on East Lombok Regency, it takes 2 hours trip by land from Mataram city ( capital of West Nusa Tenggara Province ).
              There are two ways to get to the beach,first, we can get there by land, but unfortunately the infastructure isn't very good,after we get to the cliff up on the beach,we have to walk for about 25 meters down the cliff to get to the beach,all the hard way down is payed when we see the view on the beach.

The boat from local fisherman that ready to take you to the beach and back

              Second way to the beach is by using boat from local fisherman from Tanjung Luar village, it's only take fifteen minutes (approxmately) we can rent them and they will wait for us until we finished playing on the beach,cause the wave is too calm, the beach isn't suitable for surfing,but it's ok for swimming,diving and snorkling, unfortunately in the beach we can't find much people sailing for food,so it would be better if we bring our own food if we want to go to the beach.

Children playing on the beach

       In the world, there are seven places that had same characteristics with pink beach in Lombok,two of them were in Indonesia, beside the one in West Nusa Tenggara,there are also another beach in Komodo island in East Nusa Tenggara province that had same characteristic.

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Pusuk forest,home for the monkeys

The gate to the North Lombok Regency before entering the forrest

       Beside had many beatiful beaches Lombok also had wide area of forest, mostly in the north side of the island,located in North Lombok Regency,pusuk is one of the forest that might attractive for the tourist to came by.

      From Mataram city, the location is only 30 kilometers away ( approximately),we already can feel the atmosphre of coolnes from a forest since we entering the North Lombok Regent,if we going further, take the roadway deeper in to the forrest we're gonna find groups of monkeys along the way.

a group of monkeys in Pusuk

   These monkeys make group according to the bloodline,one group usually had a family connection to the other member of the group. Even the monkeys look tame and you can feed them,but it would be better not try to touch them because we never know that they might be angry and might be bites and scratch you. The local people who stays in the forest never bother them,they just let the monkeys proliferate naturally. Beside the monkeys, you can also enjoy the wiew of wide forest that covered the hill.

wide forest covered the hill

The monkeys try to find the food

          If you take the road along the way, it will lead you to Tanjung, the capital of North Lombok Regent, the forrest wouldn't be along the way because pusuk to Tanjung is still far and it take for about 45 minutes to get there,but don't worry, along the way you still can see the beautiful view of forest and wide ricefield. If you're kind of people who kind a like this kind of tourism beside going to the beach,this could be one option that you can choose on your vacation.

Enjoying the wiew of the forest

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Ogoh - ogoh Parade,purifing the soul by destroying evil spirit

      Once a year,one day before the "Nyepi" (Silent day,hindhu's New Year) the hindhu people in Lombok,mostly in Cakranegara,one district in Mataram city, held the ogoh - ogoh ( a kind of scary statue) parade, the parade usually held from the afternoon until dusk,hindhu people from every "Banjar" gathering to start the parade that usually take route in the main street of Cakranegara.The Ogoh - ogoh were made from bamboo trunk,cartoon paper,and coloured by paint,it symbolizing the evil spirit that always try to attempting human being in life to do bad thing.                                                                                                             

         That's why ogoh - ogoh always performed in a shape of scary and creepy creature.Every "Banjar" made their own ogoh - ogoh, the people accompanying ogoh - ogoh in a procession,usually by the youth,in the end of the carnival the ogoh - ogoh would be burn,it representing (and hopefully) the evil spirit would be destroy as well and it would be a good time to start the new year with new and pure soul. After the parade,people ecspecially Hindhu people went home preparing for the silent day on the next day.

 Eventhough the majority of people in Lombok were moeslim but it doesn't bother at all, the moeslim people respect it and try take it as a "unity in diversity",The moeslim and hindu people were still live in harmony.

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Gendang Beleq,the rhythm and harmony of Lombok

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

         In Sasak tribe community,there's a traditional art that combining traditional music instruments, this music is used to encourage the warrior from ancient kingdom in Lombok island when they going for war,but as the time goes by,the function of the music become change,these days the music is playing for special occasion like wedding ceremony (merariq),or when a baby get first haircut (aqiqah) or any other big celebration.

         The name "Gendang Beleq" mean big gendang, gendang is a traditional music instrument,a kind of drum, made from big tree trunk that had been holed in the middle, and covered by ox or cow skin in the left and right side, so when people hit the left  and right side it could make a rhythm.Playing in group of men from 13 to 17 people,there are few components from this tradisonal music such as :

• Two Gendang Beleq, called gendang mame ( male gendang) and gendang nine ( female gendang ) as a dynamic of music
• One Gendang Kodeq ( Small Gendang )
• Two reong, reong mame ( male reong ) and reong nine ( female reong ) as the melody of the music
• One perembak beleq as rhytmic
• Eight perembak kodeq or used to called copek as rhytmic
• One petuk as rhytmic
• One Big Gong as rhytmic
• One Penyelak Gong as rhytmic
• One Oncer Gong as rhytmic
• Two red or yellow flag called lelontek

  

  Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

                                                         These group of men were walking like parade while they were playing the music,they were also dancing during the music playing.The filosofi of the music is representing unity,wisdom,patient,beauty, and heroism which sacred by the Sasak tribe community,so by playing the music,those good point would stay remain in the tribe.

  

  Photograph by Wahid Kurniadi

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Narmada Park,Relaxation place for the King

"Bale Loji " The King's house

           Build in the late of 17th century and finished in the early of 18th century,the garden is used to be the place where the king Anak Agung Gde Ngurah Karangasem of Karangasem kingdom in Bali and his wife take a rest in dry season after they left the king's palace in Cakranegara (Castle Carving Kawi) during the Karangasem kingdom domination in Lombok,There are two groups of buildings in the garden,the group which is classify as sacred,it's located in the east side of the garden,it's a group of temple ( the group called pura kelasa,where the king doing his pray ritual) and there's also a spring of youth called "kelabutan".

The garden view from the top

            In the west side of the garden there are group of building which is profane like "Bale Loji" Home for the King and Queen,where they can stay during the summer time, and "Bale Terang", a building with a storage underneath and had two bedroom upstairs separated by an open space so the King could feel the cool breezes while looking across the tample, The construction of the park it's self representing the replica of Mount Rinjani and Segara Anak Lake which had a sacred served and important purpose for the King who has no longer able to do the annual pilgrimage to Rinjani.there's also lake and pool that connected the east and west side of the garden,nowdays, the garden is become tourism object so that people from local and abroad could know little bit of Lombok history.
                 

"Telaga Ageng" the lake where the king doing praying ritual

The Pool and Lake view from the top

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The Art of "Peresean", fight between local knight of Lombok

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi              

  

               If in modern sport there's boxing,in tradisional Lombok society there's "peresean",word "peresean" in Indonesia mean playing perisai or playing shield because the two peoples who fight are using shield which is made from rattan and covered by ox or buffalo skin,to attack each other,they using stick made from rattan too,in the past,this sport are used to train the knight and warrior (in sasak languange we called "pepadu') from Lombok to strengthen themself. But nowdays peresean are use by people to called for rain in dry season,the more blood fall from two pepadu who fight,the more rain will fall to make ricefield of farmers fertile,thats what people believe.It also held for spesial occasion or event like when a high functionary came,or wellcoming the tourist.

Photograph by : Wahid Kurniadi

        The component of peresean are two fighters (called "pepadu") and two referees (called "pekembar") the referee who stand in the middle of the arena called "pekembar tengaq" and the referee who stand on the edge of the arena called "pekembar tengaq",during the fight the audience will also listening to the tradisonal music played using tradisonal music instrument such as gong,suling,and kanjar to encorage the fighter,everytime one fighter could hit his enemy body ,it would be count as one point,the fight held for few round,the winner is the one get the highest point,the fight would also be stopped if there's one of  the fighter surrender or could not continue the fight,after the fight,the medical team directly taking care the wound of  the fighter by using special oil,even in the fight they hit each other,but after the fight,the two fighters embrace each other.

I

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Labuhan Haji,watching sunrise on the east of Lombok

a park for people to have a morning coffe and breakfast

                Located in east side of the island,Labuhan haji is the most wellknown beach for the local,on Sunday morning,people with their family,or the youth with their couple came to the beach to watch sunrise as a recreation after long weekdays.The beach called "Labuhan Haji" (Hajj Harbor) because based on it's history, Lombok moeslim people using this beach as a harbour to go to Mecca doing their Hajj ritual,not like these days that people already using an airplane.

"berugaq" ( sasak's gazebo) to enjoy eat and drink while watch sunrise

                 In the old days,this area use to be a trade area,not just as a harbor,but also for the fishermen to sell their fish, but after the chaos in 60's, this place is no longer as a trade a area and become more quiet,we also still can see the old buildings and houses among the fishermen's village,so the East Lombok regency goverment regent try to rebuild  it again so the beach could be as good as it was,and also for recreation area to the people during the weekend. It is not hard to get to the beach,it's only 7  kilometers (approximately) from Selong, the capital of East Lombok Regent,and it's only take fifteen minutes (approximately).

Sunrise on Labuhan Haji beach

we also can see the island of Sumbawa from the beach

People try to capture the sunrise moment while they playing on the beach

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