Celebrate Ketupat: Javanese Local Tradition

Celebrate Ketupat after seven days of Eid Al-Fitr, which is one of the local Javanese traditions. Actually, what is Ketupat? So, seven days after Eid Al Fitr, Javanese people make Ketupat and Lepet by using leaf namely Janur.

Ketupat is similar to rice cake. It is made from rice covered by leaves but the shapes are different. If rice cake is long, but Ketupat is square. How about Lepet? Lepet is covered by leaf and Javanese people fill the leaf with sticky rice mix grated coconut.

They are boiled for around 2 hours in the water until it's done. Lepet can be eaten directly but Ketupat eat together with soup in Java namely Lodeh and Kare. That was so delicious. Nobody can reject it. The picture at the bottom is Ketupat and Kare soup.

The soup consists of full seasoning water and some components like vegetables, tofu, meat or chicken, and shrimp crisp. Look at the display of Ketupat. How to make the cover of Ketupat is available on YouTube. There are so many tutorial videos about how to make Ketupat and Lepet by using Leaf.

How Javanese People Celebrate Ketupat

All people in Java make Ketupat and Lepet. Sometimes they will start in the morning and then finish the production of Ketupat and Lepet in the evening. The night is the time to share Ketupat and Lepet with neighbours and Family.

After the boiling process of Ketupat and Lepet finish. They put some in the plastic bag. For example, every plastic bag consists of three Lepet, two Ketupat, and a bowl of Lodeh. Then they will go to the home of some people like neighbours, cousins, grandfather, etc to give that plastic bag.

2. Bringing in the Mosque

The second way to celebrate Ketupat is also different from the first number. Javanese people can celebrate Ketupat by eating together their Ketupat and Lepet in the mosque. So, they bring what they make in the home to the mosque.

In the mosque, there will be activity before they eat Ketupat or Lepet together, there is a religious speech from a prominent figure in that area. After hearing the speech they pray and last they eat together the Ketupat and Lepet.

In the other mosque, they just collect the Ketupat and Lepet and then share them with their neighbour. So, they can go home and bring Ketupat and Lepet from other people. That was so interesting tradition, right? When there is someone cannot bring Ketupat or Lepet, they can bring other food like fruit or snacks to share.

3. Sitting in The Village Meeting Hall

The last way to celebrate Ketupat is the same as the previous but the differences are just the place. The second way is in the mosque, the last is in the Village Meeting Hall or the field.

Some Javanese people will celebrate Ketupat in a field by sitting together. Before they come, they collect their Ketupat and Lepet and then make it like a mountain. So that was so high. There will be prayer and speech and in the last activity, they will share the mountain of Ketupat and Lepet.