Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islam in Selangor Weddings

This research paper investigates the acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamic wedding traditions within the Javanese ethnic community in Selangor, Malaysia. The study employs acculturation theory to analyze how Javanese wedding customs have adapted and integrated with Malay culture, resulting in a unique blend. The research highlights the concept of cultural negotiation, exploring how traditions have been substituted or combined, leading to syncretism. Through fieldwork and an anthropological approach, the paper examines the influence of Islam and the preservation of ancestral traditions within the context of a multi-ethnic society. The study reveals the importance of language, mutual cooperation, and the sacredness of marriage in understanding the dynamics of cultural exchange. The research concludes that the wedding traditions of Javanese Muslims in Selangor demonstrate a high degree of acculturation, blending Javanese and Malay customs to form a distinctive cultural expression. The research paper is a valuable resource for students on Desklib, offering detailed analysis of cultural adaptation and the interplay of tradition and religion.

KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|52
Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islam in Wedding
Tradition of Javanese Ethnic Community in Selangor,
Malaysia
Abid Rohmanu
Ponorogo State College for Islamic Studies (STAIN), Ponorogo
e-mail: [e-mail]
Abstrak:
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat bagaimana tingkat akulturasi Islam Jawa
dan Melayu pada pernikahan masyarakat etnik Jawa di selangor, Malaysia. Me-
nurut teori budaya, setiap budaya mempunyai keunikan sebagaimana keunikan
individu. Keunikan budaya pernikahan masyarakat etnik Jawa di Selangor di-
yakini sebagai proses negosiasi budaya Jawa terhadap budaya Melayu. Teori a-
kulturasi dipakai dalam penelitian ini untuk membantu menjelaskan dan me-
mahami data. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa tradisi pernikahan etnik Islam
Jawa di Selangor menunjuk pada tingkat akulturasi yang tinggi. Dalam bahasa
antropologi, akulturasi tersebut mengarah pada “subtitusi” dan “sinkretisme”.
Subtitusi dalam makna tradisi Jawa untuk sebagian besarnya diganti dengan
budaya baru (Melayu). Akulturasi juga bisa dikatakan mengarah pada sinkre-
tisme budaya, yakni percampuran dua budaya menjadi budaya baru yang si-
fatnya khas.
Kata Kunci:
Akulturasi, pernikahan etnik Jawa, subtitusi, sinkretisme
Abstract:
This study is to see the level of acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islams in
Javanese community wedding at Selangor Malaysia. According to the theory of
culture, each culture has a uniqueness, as a individual uniqueness. The unique
culture of Javanese ethnic wedding in Selangor is believed to be a process of ne-
gotiation between Malay and Javanese cultures. Acculturation theory is used in
this research to explain and understand the reality of that culture. The study con-
cluded that ethnic wedding traditions of Javanese Islam in Selangor pointed to
the high level of acculturation. The acculturation leads to a “substitution” and
“syncretism”. The substitution refers to the meaning that the Javanese tradition
for the most replaced with new culture (Malay). Acculturation can also be said as
a cultural syncretism, the mixing of these two cultures into a new culture that are
distinctive.
Keywords:
Acculturation, Javanese ethnic wedding, substitution, syncretism

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|53
Introduction
Malaysia is a multi-ethnic state.1
The three largest ethnics are Javanese,
Chinese, and Indian. Javanese immig-
rants derive from Java Island, i.e East
Java, Central Java, and West Java. The
East Javanese mostly came from Pono-
rogo, Madiun, Pacitan, and other areas.2
The arrival of Javanese immigrants to
Malaysia were not only initially affected
by socio-economic factors but also soci-
o-political and socio-religious of Indo-
nesia at that time. In early 20th century,
before 1945, Indonesia was under Dutch
colonization. The colonization limitized
the space as well as became a threat to
resident’s safety at the time. Most im-
migrants were also influenced by reli-
gious factors, that the arrival in Malay-
sia to preach and earn money for the
Hajj.3
Javanese ethnic in Malaysia,
nowadays, are the third and fourth
1 Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri, Raksa
Raya Malaysia(Kuala Lumpur: Institut Terje-
mahan dan Buku Malaysia Berhad, 2014),1.
According to the data source, there were 48 la-
nguages spoken by people living in the islands,
however the Malay remain becomes the national
linguafranca. It indicates that Malaysia has been
heterogenuos and multi-ethnic country. Rozeyta
BT. Omar and Paimah BT. Atoma, “Pluraliti
Budaya dan Etnik di Alam Melayu Zaman
Awal”, www.eprint.utm.my, accessed on
September 23, 2015,
www.eprint.utm.my/14774/.
2 “Kajian Etnik Jawa di Malaysia”, accessed on
Septem-ber 25, 2015,
www.hissham66.blogspot.com .
3 Harith Faruqi Sidek, “Sejarah Pembukaan
Penempatan Orang Jawa di Selangor”,
www.arithsidek.blogspot.com, accessed on
September 25, 2015,
www.arithsidek.blogspot.com.
generations of their ancestors. As Java-
nese generation, they have more unique
culture than other ethnic of Malay. They
still preserve their ancestral traditions,
on the other hand, they also absorb the
local traditions, Malay-Malaysia in
which Islamic values and tradition are
extremely good. In everyday communi-
cation, they are used to speak the
Javaneseof Ngoko (middle-rank Java-
nese language level) among them.4 La-
nguage is a very important cultural
symbol for the community. The com-
mitment to maintain the traditions of
the ancestors is also reflected in their
proverb: “Tak kan Jawa hilang di dunia”
(Javanese would never have gone from
the world).
The principle of loyalty to tra-
dition and ancestral culture is also ref-
lected in the wedding traditions of
Javanese ethnic in Malay. Though the
wedding traditions are already wrap-
ped in Malay tradition, based on my ob-
servation, Javanese culture appears in
the wedding of Javanese community in
Selangor Malaysia. One of the examples
is the tradition of gotong-royong (mutual
cooperation) in preparing for the wed-
ding ceremony on Javanese community
4 The immigrants from Java spoke Javanese la-
nguage to communicate in the economic activity
and in the slavery of the colonialization, as the
result there are six countries that the population
partly use Javanese language as daily commu-
nication. They are Republic of Suriname, Singa-
pore, Malaysia, Holland, New Caledonia (ex
French colonialized country), and Cocos Island.
“6 Negara di Dunia yang Memakai Bahasa Ja-
wa”, www.cuap-cuap.net, accessed on April 8,
2015, http://www.cuap-cuap.net/2014/11/6-
negara-di-dunia-yang-menggunakan.html.

Abid Rohmanu
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
54 |
in Selangor. The tradition of gotong
royong is not substantively different
from the tradition of rewangin Java.
Even, some people there prefer to call
rewang. They also name gotong royong as
kenduri kahwin (also called as selametan),
a term which is also quite popular in the
Javanese community.5 Any traditions
will experience the change whenever it
interfaces another culture, Sorokin
confirmed that there will always be
elements that are eternal or he called it
as the continuity within change.6 If only
the physical appearance of tradition has
changed, at least, the spirit of the
tradition is maintained,becauseit is
associatedwith society and ethnic’s
philosophy of life. It indicates that there
is acculturation between Javanese and
Malay-Malaysia culture.
In certain cultures, marriage is
something sacred, like birth and death
(the three crucial cycles in life). More-
over, marriage is also identical to socio-
civic dimension. Therefore, there are
many processions and ceremonies
which accompany a wedding of Java-
nese community in Malaysia.
Sacredness and sociality of mar-
riage as described above is seen in wed-
ding tradition of Malay society. One
source stated that sacredness and soci-
ality of marriage make the tradition
accompanying the Malay wedding tra-
dition sounds a little bit complicated,
because of a lot of steps must be passed.
The complexity arises because the con-
cept of marriage in Malay tradition
must get approval from parents and
5 Observation, March 20-23, 2015.
6 Nur Syam, Madzab-Madzab Antropologi (Yogya-
karta: LKiS, 2007), 138.
obtain social recognition of family, ne-
ighbors, and society. Thus, although not
become pillars of the wedding, a lot of
the wedding procession, customs, and
ceremoniesthat accompany marriage
are essentially social, which is related to
how to socialize marriage to the soci-
ety.7
Based on the explanation above,
this paper explores the Javanese ethnic
in Malay society in preserve the Java-
nese wedding traditions and how these
traditions are adapted to the local cul-
ture and tradition of Malaysia. Accord-
ing to the theory of culture, each culture
has a uniqueness as like individual uni-
queness. The uniqueness of Javanese
wedding tradition in Malaysia is that
such tradition is believed to be a nego-
tiation of Javanese and Malay cultures.
Research Method and Theoretical Fra-
mework
This study is basically a field
research of qualitative research design.
The primary data of this study is a tra-
dition and wedding practice of Java-
nese ethnic of Malay society in Selangor,
and how do they interpret the wedding
tradition. Therefore, the primary sour-
ces are the practice of wedding tra-
ditions of the society in Selangor Malay-
sia and the people performing such
tradition. As the qualitative research
characteristics,this study wanted to
explore the meaning of culture and
wedding traditions of Javanese Mos-
lems community in Selangor Malaysia.
This was done to see the acculturation
7 “Adat Perkawinan Melayu”,
melayuonline.com, accessed on April 8, 2015,
http://melayuonline.com/ind/culture/dig/154
5.

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|55
of Javanese Moslems and Malays in the
tradition of their wedding. That’s why
this researchwas humanist paradigm
(nonpositivist) with an anthropological
approach.
An anthropological approach
was relevant to the topic and research
objectives,which describedthe accul-
turation of Javanese-Islam and Malay-
Islam culture on the Javanese ethnic
wedding traditions in Selangor Malay-
sia. The characteristics of antroplogical
approach are: 1) descriptive, not nor-
mative, 2) local practices, 3) connections
accross social domains, 4) comparative.8
Based on the characteristics of
the anthropological approach above,
this research is intended to describe the
practices and rites that accompany the
important events of human life, namely
marriage. Therefore, the main point of
this research is the local practices
Javanese-Islam wedding culture in Sela-
ngor, and how the culture is associated
with other life domains (religion, socio-
culture, and socio-economic). This study
also contains a comparativeelement,
which compares Javanese ethnic wed-
ding tradition in Selangor with tra-
ditional Javanese wedding in Java. This
comparison, not only aimed to see the
uniqueness of the Javanese wedding
traditions in Selangor, but also to see the
level of acculturation of Javanese and
Malay-Islam in term of wedding tra-
dition in Selangor Malaysia.
8 Amin Abdullah, “Urgensi Pendekatan Antro-
pologi untuk Studi Agama dan Studi Islam”,
www.aminabd.wordpress.com,accessed on
October 23, 2015,
www.aminabd.wordpress.com.
Meanwhile, the theory used in
this research is acculturation. Accultu-
ration is a social process;the contact
between two different cultures or more
which result changes in both cultures.
Researchers of culture has interested in
the process of acculturation to under-
stand how this process leads to changes,
whether social or cultural change.9
Koentjaraningrat stated that ac-
culturation is a social process to ac-
commodate and integrate elements of
foreign cultures into its own culture,
without losing its own cultural cha-
racteristics. In this case, Koentjara-
ningrat pointed that long ago in the
history of human there has been
migration, the movement of tribes from
one area to another. This migration led
to the meeting of groups of people from
different cultural backgrounds.When
one cultural group meet other cultural
groups, there will be an interaction and
cultural contacts, or the meeting of two
cultures.10 Such meeting of has led to
acculturation,ie the process of integ-
rating other cultures into its own culture
without against identity of the culture.
In other words, it can be said that
acculturation is an integration of two
different cultures that produces a new
culture, but it doesnot eliminate the
characteristics or nature of the original
culture. It is a kind of adaptation in a
new cultural environment.
9 Arkanudin, “Akulturasi sebagaiMekanisme
Perubahan Budaya”,
www.arkandien.blogspot.com, accessed on
October 23, 2015,
www.arkandien.blogspot.com/2010/06/.
10 Ibid.

Abid Rohmanu
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
56 |
In the context of Javanese Mos-
lem society, the process of adaptation
and acculturation can not be separated
from “text” of religion, which has been
absorbed into the native culture and
then it is negotiatedwith the deve-
lopment of culture. Therefore,Geertz
viewed Javanese Moslem as a socio-
cultural “text”. That means, people are
not merely seen as a cultural entity, but
an entity which is formed and influ-
enced by religious texts. The texts of this
culture are transmitted from one gene-
ration to another, which in turn is also
influenced by socio-cultural environ-
ment. The transmissionof intergene-
ration presupposes a cultural dynamics,
yet the cultural dynamics will always be
associated with the first and basic Scrip-
tures.11
Looking at the history of Islam
in Java, adaptation, acculturation, and
negotiations between Islam and Eastern
culture with the Javanese Moslem soci-
ety seemed to be obvious. This, as well
as the development ofIslam in Java,
mostly utilized culture as a way to de-
liver Islamic value as played by the
trustees in Java island. It was obvious
that the process of Islamisation of Nu-
santara (Indonesia archipelago),inclu-
ding Java, was organized by using the
network which utilized channels and
various local media. BJO. Schrieke,
sociologistsand historians of the Ne-
therlands, in his Indonesian Socio-
logical Studies asserted that since the
16th century, the archipelago has prac-
tically been integrated culturally by Is-
11 Azyumardi Azra, “Santri-Abangan Revisited”,
introduction to Bambang Pranowo, Memahami
Islam Jawa (Ciputat: Pustaka Alvabet, 2009), xiii.
lam, a new religion came from a region
which could be called as the center of
Islam.12
It is not surprising that Javanese
Islam is known as “syncretic” culture.
Javanese Islam is also considered to be
very tolerant of foreign cultures. In the
case of rejection of foreign elements, the
Javanesedid not protest it in violent
ways. Hence, they revived the myths
that remain eternalin their souls; it is the
hope of the coming of queen of justice.
In the context of the Javanese, all of the
elements of foreign cultures can be
absorbed and interpreted according to
the Javanese values. Kejawen philo-
sophy becomes a control tool to protect
their identity as Javanese. Javanese
values have also been integrated in such
a way with Islamic values. It should be
recognized that religion mainly brought
big influence on a culture of a group.13
Geertz classified the Javanese into santri
(Javanese Moslems who practice a more
orthodox version of Islam), priyayi (up-
per classes/noble), and abangan (Java-
nese Moslems who practice a much
more syncretic version of Islam). In its
development, the influence of santri on
priyayi and abanganclasses is strong
enough. That is, the culture of abangan
class and santri has been adjusted to the
12 Hasan Muarif Ambary, Menemukan Peradaban:
Jejak Arkeologisdan Historis Islam di Indonesia
(Ciputat: Logos Wacana Ilmu, 2001), 63.
13 The Geertz’s social classification santri, priyayi,
dan abangan were the controversial one since it
mixed the social classification with belief aspect.
Santri (Muslim students) are the pious and
religious followers, abangan means Java-Islamic
followers, and priyayi means royal blood family.
In fact, the classification had been appreciated
and contributed significant influence toward
cultural establishment.

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|57
Islamic value. This is due to most of the
santri in Java was not puritanism who
was antipathetictoward culture, but
instead utilize culture as a medium for
delivering the Islamic value.
The history also shows that
there was an expansion of the influence
of Islam of Java to other places.
Historically, when Islam of Java was
already taking a political role, Islami-
sation in key areas of Java was more
massive,even Islam of Java also ex-
panded its influence beyond Java, such
as Banjarmasin, Hitu, Ternate, Tidore,
and Lombok.14 The expansion of the
influence of Islam Java to outside Java
certainly had not stopped on the subject
of religion but also had cultural impli-
cations. Such cultural implication was a
negotiation and acculturation.In the
later period and in subsequentdeve-
lopment, the Islamization conducted wi-
despread across the country border with
varied motives, ie the economic motive
as figured out in Javanese Moslem
diaspora communities to the Malay Pe-
ninsula.
In line with the cultural impli-
cations above, anthropologists claimed
that acculturation occurs when contact
betweenthe two cultures or more is
intensively maintained. Dealing with
this level of intercultural contactsin-
tensity, anthropologists proposed some
concepts of classification:15
1. Substitution, the existing of the
previous element or the com-
plexity of the cultural elements
14 Ambary, Menemukan Peradaban, 56.
15 Azra, “Santri-Abangan Revisited”, xiii.
are substituted with new ele-
ments that fulfills its function,
which involves structural cha-
nges in smaller level.
2. Syncretismrefers to mixing of
old elements with new ones and
establishes a new system. In this
context it is possible to be a
significant change.
3. Addition refers to the level of
cultural blending in which the
elements or the complexity of the
new elements are added to the
old culture.
4. Deculturation refers to the
cultural fusion that eliminates the
substance of a particular culture.
5. Origination: refers to the level of
cultural blending in which new
elementsare added to fill the
new needs as the situation cha-
nges.
6. Disclaimer:refers to the condi-
tions changing very quickly, so a
large number of people do not
accept it. This rejection can appe-
ars in various ways, whether
smooth or extreme ways such as
rebellion.
From an anthropological vi-
ew, every tradition and culture will
change when it is faced with a social
world which is constantly changing. It is
described theoretically “disorganizati-
on” to “integration” stage, or similar to
a school of Hegelian dialectic; the stages
of cultural changes were divided into,
integration, disintegration, and reinteg-
ration.16 In the contemporary era, the
16 Syam, Madzab-Madzab Antropologi, 137

Abid Rohmanu
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
58 |
Javanese culture is not solely centered in
Solo and Yogyakarta.In Iman Budhi
Santoso’s words, Javanese culture has
melted, flowed, and become the pulse of
life of Javanese in Java, the trans-
migration community beyond Java Is-
land, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore,
and others.17
However, every change always
leaves something behind to be eternal.
In this case, Sorokin stated that there
was always a continuity within cha-
nge.18 This concept can be used as a
framework on how deep the accul-
turation of Javanese tradition and the
Malay’s in terms of wedding traditions
Javanese community in Selangor Malay-
sia.
Wedding Tradition of Malay Society as
Javanese Descent
One of the characteristics of the
anthropological approach is descriptive-
comparative study. Comparison of this
article is directed to the comparison bet-
ween the Javanese ethnic community in
Selangor Malaysia with Javanese in Java
in term of wedding tradition. The com-
parison, again, will be able to show the
level of acculturation wedding tradition
of Javanese Moslems community in Se-
langor to the Malay tradition. Compa-
risons will be made to the various rites
and ceremonies that accompany wed-
ding ceremony.
17 Iman Budhi Santoso, Manusia Jawa Mencari
Kebeningan Hati: Menuju Tata Hidup-Tata Laku-
Tata Krama (Yogyakarta: Diandra, 2013), 104.
18 Ibid.
1. Pre-Wedding Ceremony
Marriage is a sacred thing con-
taining the strong promise (mitsâq
ghalîzh) between spouses. Therefore, the
concept of marriage in Islam should
only be done once in a lifetime by
Moslems. Divorce is normatively vie-
wed as a despised and despicable thing,
and only be performed under emer-
gency conditions. The normative prin-
ciple was later embodied in the various
ceremoniesthat accompanywedding,
among which are the custom of merisik
and meninjau. The meaning of merisik
and meninjau tradition are, first, to see if
the spouse to be is truly single and not
in someone else’s fiancee, and second, to
see the whole background of spouses.
As in the Javanese tradition, it is impor-
tant to look at bibit (refers to genealogy),
bebet(refers to family, relatives, and
friends), and bobot (refers to the faith-
fullness of God, personality,lifestyle,
and educationalbackground)of each
spouse will be. This is because a mar-
riage is expectedto be eternal until
kakenninen(being grand-parents)and
can be sakînah mawaddah wa rahmah. In
Javanese tradition, merisik and meninjau
are similar with the nontoni custom. In
the Javanese, nontoni provides a chance
for both couples and the two families to
see the background of each other.
Although, these two traditions have a
similar substance, there is no definite
information that acculturation has
occurred in this culture and tradition. It
is probably becausethe two societies
have the same value in viewing
marriage as something sacred. Hence,
prudence in choosing a spouse is a cru-
cial thing. Another similarity is that the
value of marriage is basically not simply

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|59
related to persons who want to get mar-
ried (the bride), but marriage is also
strongly related to the family. Marriage
is not only marrying the bride couples,
but also marry the two families. In this
context, the involvement of the family is
important in all of the wedding proces-
sion, primarily in the tradition of merisik
and meninjau (in Selangor) and nontoni
(in Java).
After the procession of merisik
and meninjau,if both couples under-
stand and accept each other, then in
accordance with the concept of Malay
customs, the next ceremonies are merasi,
applying and making a proposal, gotong
royong,reading the barzanji,and pre-
paration for the banquet.These cere-
monies on Javanese community in Sela-
ngor has been simplified. Merasi tradi-
tion, for example, is not widely used by
Javanese ethnic communitiesin Sela-
ngor, as it is considered no longer ap-
propriate to their beliefs.
Among the pre-wedding cere-
monies above, the social rites of gotong
royong(mutual cooperation)is consi-
dered as Javanese influences. In Java-
nese philosophy, gotong royong is a
manifestation of a very important aspect
of harmony. Gotong royong related to the
wedding ceremony is called rewang.
Rewang is a form of gotong royong con-
ducted to prepare the ceremony, which
is also known as the kendurikahwin.
Gotong royong is primarily held before
the wedding by the relatives of host and
also the neighbors.19 Most Javanese in
19 The tradition of gotong royong deals with not
only marriage mattersor rewangin Javanese
tradition but also eonomic and social issues in
Malaysia even still call it as rewang. Ac-
cording to H. Mahani, a Professor (not
in the sense of Professor in Indonesia,
but the teacher to the school before Uni-
versity), addressing this term to gotong
royong was not absolutely right. Gotong
royong refers to a wider context of inte-
rests, not individual. In the case of wed-
ding ceremony, according to him, it is
more accurately described as rewang,20
the term which is very popular in the
Javanese wedding tradition.
The tradition of nyumbang(to
donate) related to the wedding is the
influence of Javanese tradition, namely
gotong royong (mutual cooperation).
Nyumbang is a donation of money gi-
ven to the wedding host. The donators
are usually guests who attend the wed-
ding and they are not involved in
rewang.21 As the Javanese tradition
nowadays, the donation is money. Tra-
dition nyumbang on wedding traditions
in Selangor is apparently more explicit
than those in Java. In the Javanese
ethnic wedding traditions in Selangor,
broader sense. In economic issue, gotong royong
could take the form of development of ditch,
farm-land, and plantation garden. The Javanese
call this with kerigan. In social matter, the kind
of gotong royong would be like the building of
mosque, road, bridge, house, and many others.
It is called as sambatan. Awang Sariyan, “Per-
sepsi Keturunan Jawa di Malaysia terhadap
Bangsa Jawa di Tanah Induknya dalam Konteks
Keserumpunan Tamadun”,
www.pustaka2.upsi.edu.my, accessed on
September 2015,
www.pustaka2.upsi.edu.my/eprints/298/cgi/e
x.
20 Interview with Mahani, Bukit Badung, March
21, 2015.
21 Ibid.

Abid Rohmanu
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
60 |
donations are given directly to the
parents of brides. In this case, the pa-
rents are standing in front of the house
to welcome the guests. At that time, gu-
ests give the donation while shaking
hands with the parents. In contrasts, the
donations in the Javanese wedding in
Java are not given directly, but the host
provides a box for donation. While the
host is sitting with the bride and groom
on the stage.
In the Javanese wedding in Sela-
ngor, it is also known a tradition of
leklekan, when the relatives and neigh-
bors do not sleep all the night as part of
the wedding tradition. In the Javanese
in Java, this is known as tirakatan night
as part of the midodareni event.I beli-
eves, leklean wedding traditions in
Selangor is a part of the acculturation of
Javanese tradition and Javanese ethnic’s
in Malaysia. It can be seen from the term
leklekan itself, which is the Java langu-
age.
Kenduri tradition (festivity) ac-
companying the wedding tradition is
also a meeting point of Javanese and Ja-
vanese ethnic in Selangor. Tradition of
kenduri with nasi ambang (Javanese food)
is still faithfully maintained by Javanese
ethnic community in Selangor, not only
on wedding traditions, but also other
important events in the cycle of human
life, ie, birth, marriage, and death. Ac-
cording to Muhajir, Javanese ethnic
communitiesname it as nasi ambang.
Nasi ambang is served during the
festivity (kenduri) and quartered after it
is recited pray for safety. Then, the rice
is taken home by guest, and it is known
as berkat.22
The traditions and ceremonies
above can be considered as a form of
acculturation of Javanese-Islam culture
and Javanese ethnic in Selangor. It is
also possible that there would be an
acculturation on other ceremonies, tho-
ugh it was packed with Malay or local
culture. This is because the charac-
teristics of the Javanese is tolerant to
other cultures, especially if their positi-
on is newcomers. In addition, the Java-
nese and people of Selangor actually ha-
ve many equal values. This two com-
munities affiliated to the same culture,
namely the Malay culture, and the two
communities have the same belief, na-
mely Islam. As far as my observation,
the religious tradition of Selangor peo-
ple is similar with the Javanese’s. They
practice Syâfi’î School in the same man-
ner as the Javanese. This school is also
known to be very tolerant with the local
culture. Therefore, it is not surprising
that such barzanji recitation tradition
and khatm al-Qur’ân also commonly ac-
company wedding traditions. Such two
religious traditions is also commonly
found in the Javanese society.
2. Wedding Ceremony
The main phases of the wedding
ceremonyare ’aqd al-nikâhprocession
(marriage contract) and wedding recep-
tion. ’Aqd al-nikâh procession is not
much different from the Javanese. This
is because both communities have the
same religious tradition, the school of
Syâfi’î. However, unlike Javanese, the
22 Interview with Muhajir, Bukit Badung, March
21, 2015.

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|61
father of the bride acts as wali (guard-
ian) of his own daughter on the pro-
cession. For Javanese ethnic community
in Selangor, it is an obligation for the
father to be wali of his daughter, and
the qâdlî (religious official) is guiding its
procession. On the other hand, Javanese
who do not have a religious background
generally depute their responsibility of
being wali to the marriage official (naib)
or kiai. It is considered more practical.
Meanwhile, the wedding reception is
simple, as the writer looked at the Java-
nese ethnic wedding traditions in Sela-
ngor. The key point of the celebration is
a banquet; banquet for guests and fa-
mily in-laws with standing partymo-
del. It is different with Javanese,in
which the reception or temu manten is
not only about the banquet,but also
containing a series of events, speech by
the host as well as khutbah nikah
(marriage advice). Although the Java-
nese’s reception nowadays has been
shifted to a model of standing party,
such model is not common for rural
society.
This is in line with their statement
that the wedding traditions (especially
the wedding reception) in Selangor is
complex and spend high cost. While the
Javanese wedding traditions are carried
out in a simple way or climen. For Java-
nese, the greatness of the wedding party
depends on the economic level of the
host. As it is known that people of Se-
langor are in the level of prosperous.
The banquet at the reception invol-
ves catering service and waiter. When
the reception is held, the host also
orders a grilled lamb for guests besides
the usual dish for a reception. Although
involving catering service, the hosts are
still providing plenty of food which is
particularly for other various series of
wedding ceremony. It is accomplished
by relatives and neighbors in by gotong
royong.They generally slaughter the
cow or buffalo by themselves for the
banquet in various series of wedding
ceremonies.
The description above are the diffe-
rences of a banquet of wedding recep-
tion between Javanese and Javanese eth-
nic in Selangor. While in a particular
case, the would be a similarity. For
example in the kompangan (Malay tradi-
tional music) to welcome the bride and
bridegroom (temanten). This is the result
of same religious tradition between the
Javanese and Selangor people.
Forms of Acculturation: Spiritual, Soci-
al, and Economic Aspects in the Wed-
ding Tradition of Malay Javanese
Ethnic
Migration of Javanese to Selangor
Malaysia is a major factor of the ac-
culturation of Javanese and Malay cul-
ture. There is an interplay of Javanese
and Malay Selangor-Malaysiain the
context of wedding tradition, though it
should be admitted that the influence of
Malay culture is dominant. Javanese as
a newcomer in Selangor Malaysia requi-
res them to adapt socially to the local
culture. Moreover, the Javanese is kno-
wn to be very tolerant to foreign cul-
tures, even it is integrated with their
own culture along not contradicted to
culture identity, or without losing its
own culture characteristics. Culture con-

Abid Rohmanu
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
62 |
tacts of Javanese Muslims and Malay
society produce a new culture without
eliminating the identity characteristics
of native culture. It can be seen on Ja-
vanese ethnic community in Selangor
Malaysia which has a unique culture ra-
ther than other ethnic.
The forms of acculturation between
Javanese-Islamculture and the Malay
on Javanese ethnic wedding traditions
in Selangor Malaysia has been described
beforehand. Such forms of acculturation
are more likely a visible symbol in the
form of wedding ceremonies. In the fol-
lowing section, the writer will describe
several points of acculturation between
cultural entities.
1. Dimension of Spirituality of Java-
nese Ethnic Wedding Traditions in
Selangor
One of the Javaneseethnic charac-
teristics in Selangor is their religious-
ness. Javanese are classified into santri,
abangan, and priyayi, however, the an-
cestors who migrated to Malaysia gene-
rally were santri. This is due to motives
of migration to the Malay peninsula
were to preach and transit for the
pilgrimage. If abangan had migrated to
Malay for economic motives, their
religious consciousness would increase,
because of the Islamic nuances of the
Malay.
Javanese ethnic religiousness in Sela-
ngor Malaysia can be seen in their wed-
ding tradition. Marriage for them is not
merely a civil relationship between the
couples, but it is a manifestation of im-
plementing religious instruction. As the
Prophet Muhammad said that to marry
is his sunnah,and whoever does not
perform his sunnah is considered as not
him. Furthermore, marriage is part of
the maqâshid al-syarî’ah, namely remain-
ing of generation. Because the first rea-
son of marriage is to perform religious
instruction and not merely as civil re-
lationships, so religion emphasizes that
marriage is a sacred and strong rela-
tionship (mitsâq ghalîzh).
As explained earlier, we can find
another religious forms tradition accom-
panying the wedding traditions. There
are khatmal-Qur’ân(Quran recitation)
tradition, kenduri tradition, and reading
the barzanji on pre-wedding ceremony.
These activities always involve local re-
ligious leaders. It also can be interpreted
as recognition of the figure and charis-
ma of kiai, as Javanese name it. The figu-
re of kiai become the reference for Java-
nese. Kiai is closer to the lower class
community, speaks their language, and
guide the religious life in a simple and
easy to understand.
In addition, there is a view which
stated the core of wedding ceremony is
on ’aqd al-nikâh procession which is car-
ried out based on Syâfi’î school. Howe-
ver, they can not omit custom traditions
which is popular in the community.
The spirituality and religious value in
wedding tradition are also seen in the
kompangan traditional music to welcome
temanten (the brides-groom). Kompangan
is a typical Islamic tradition, as well
known in Javanese. Praying led by
religious figures are also always seen in
wedding ceremonies. People who come
to the wedding ceremony also wear reli-
gious costumes, in which they generally
use a baju takwa and kopiah, except for a

Acculturation of Javanese and Malay Islamsin Wedding Tradition
KARSA: Jurnal Sosial dan Budaya Keislaman
Vol. 24, No. 1, Juni 2016: 52-66
Copyright (c)2016 by Karsa. All Right Reserved
DOI: 10.19105/karsa.v24i1.1008
|63
few young people among them, or host
with traditional dress.23
2. Social Dimensions of Javanese Wed-
ding Tradition in Selangor
Javanese ethnic wedding traditions in
Selangor are full of social and societal
dimension. A series ceremony that ac-
companies wedding traditions, the ’aqd
al-nikâh procession and the wedding re-
ception, also means socializing their
marriage to communities and close rela-
tives. For Javanese ethnic communities
in Selangor, marriages conducted secret-
ly rise rumors in the community. Such
wedding usually happens to hide their
disgrace, the promiscuity before marri-
age. For Malay society, promiscuity as
something reprehensible and contradict
to the teachings of religion.
The social dimension of marriage is
that the wedding should be appropriate
with the customs of the society. A com-
munity has their own customs about the
stages of a marriage performed. In this
case, marriage is not enough to be done
based on the religious instruction and
ignore unwritten customs. In line with
this, it is important to harmonize the
marriage processions with the customs.
When the wedding rules are violated, a
custom usually has determined the me-
chanism of social sanction. Communal
life, in this case, is so dominant, while
individualistic as reflected in Western
culture is not appropriate with the E-
astern culture.
The social dimension of Javanese
ethnic wedding traditions in Selangor
23 Observation, March 20-23, 2015.
Malaysia looks too complex. It can be
seen from many series of ceremonies
conducted,whether pre-wedding and
post-wedding ceremonies. But in prac-
tice, these ceremonieshas been sim-
plified, so that the complexity of wed-
ding tradition can be reduced. If this
simplification is a result of social ag-
reement (convention), it is acceptable.
Vice versa if simplification is done by an
individual.
Based on Asmidar’s research, Malay
wedding tradition is not completely
implemented. The implementation is for
a demand of social obligations/cus-
toms. This is, according to Asmidar, be-
cause the society is now generally de-
manding a very practical thing, which is
diffrent from the ancestors.24
Asmidar identified some ceremonies
of wedding traditions that have cha-
nges, among which are associated with
matchmaking, merisik, menggantung ce-
remony, berinai ceremony and berandam
ceremony. In the contemporary Malay
society, most young people do not get
couples through an arranged marriage,
but they look for the partner by them-
selves. This shift, in turn, has impli-
cations for other ceremonies.Because
marriage is not through an arranged
24 The scope of the study is in Bantayan Hilir vil-
lage, however the phenomenon of tradition in-
tegration seems generalized. It is based on its
nature, that tradition is easy to integrate and it
is dynamic together with the development of
era. Asmidar, “Perubahan Tradisi Perkawinan
Etnis Melayu di desa Bantayan Hilir Kecamatan
Batu Hampar Kabupaten Hilir”,
http://download.portalgaruda.org, accessed
October 19, 2015,
http://download.portalgaruda.org/article.php?