Thursday, October 7th, was Yogyakarta's 254th birthday! SMK 6 and much of the city celebrated by wearing the beautiful traditional Javanese clothing known as the kebaya. Women wear Batik skirts often embellished with sequins and other glamorous affects, and also brightly colored embellished tops. Most have long sleeves and may be made of lace or mesh netting with intricate hand beading or embroidery with a corset worn underneath. Every kebaya is different as they are often hand made especially for those wearing them. The men also wear long Batik skirts along with Batik caps and a belt or cummerbund with a small Javanese sword tucked in the back. All of the styles, colors, and hand sewn details were incredible! I was lucky to have my counterpart teacher, Ibu Yiyis, lend me a kebaya of her daughter's to wear. And it was even green, my favorite!
The women also spend much time perfecting their hair and makeup. Bright lipstick and eyeshadow shades matching the kebaya are common, as are fancy hair pieces and beautiful barrettes. Below are a few of the teachers at SMK 6 looking stunning!
Needless to say, at a birthday party as important as Jogja's, there is no school work to be done. Instead the school held a karaoke contest and also a runway show. I barely escaped having to sing though I explained it would not be music to anyone's ears, but many students and also teachers took the stage to sing traditional Javanese songs as well as Indonesian pop songs. I even heard an Eric Clapton number in there : )
The courtyard at SMK 6 was filled with seating for the entire school under several large tents. A few teachers judged the singing contest as the rest of the students and faculty sat and enjoyed the show. It even rained a little bit, but this did not stop the teachers and students from giving their best performances.
It surprised me how different all of the students looked in their traditional clothing as I am accustomed to seeing them daily in their uniforms. Everyone looked more mature and sometimes it was hard to tell the students and teachers apart. Many students watched their peers perform, and some were even so supportive as to join in with them on the stage, dancing or helping them with some back-up vocals. The performances were all extremely entertaining and everyone who sang had a wonderful voice, a few female students were so incredible they actually gave me the chills! Everyone who participated did an amazing job and it was great to see everyone let loose and have a good time at school together.
Bu Yiyisand I along with several other teachers left SMK 6 for a while to stop by a wedding reception. The wedding was a traditional Javanese one. As you can see below the Bride and Groom are dressed and made up immaculately. Muslim brides will wear the jilbab adorned with real flowers that smell incredible, and those who do not wear a head scarf will have the traditional Javanese hairstyle detailed with golden and silver barrettes. The Groom may wear a suit or a traditional kebaya, also very ornamented with flowers or other decorations. A traditional Javanese wedding reception is a little different than an American one in other ways as well. The Bride and Groom will sit on an elevated stage, very well decorated as you can see from the picture. They will sit here for the entire duration of the reception and only rise to greet and welcome people to the party and thank them for coming. The guests arrive and greet the Bride and Groom as well as family members, take pictures with them and of course enjoy some food. At this particular wedding I tried Guduk, which is a trademark food of Jogja made from the JackFruit. It is very sweet, too sweet for even some natives of Jogja, but is very delicious over white rice and is a must-try for everyone visiting Jogja. A traditional Javanese wedding is an intense way to be exposed to just one of the many different and amazing cultures of Indonesia.
Below is a picture of me with Bu Yiyis in our kebayas. Along with our lovely party at SMK 6, Yogyakarta hosted other parades and carnival arts with appearances and participation from various government officials to celebrate. Happy Birthday Yogyakarta!
For more information on Yogyakarta and its history visit : http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daerah_Istimewa_Yogyakarta
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