Nadran

Ritual Sequence: Offerings, Processions, and Sacred Acts

The Nadran ceremony unfolds through a series of activities that engage the entire community, both physically and spiritually:

Wayang Performance and Ruwatan
In the evening, a performance is held wayang kulit as ruwatanwhich is a ritual of purification. The story presented is titled Budhug Basuwhich recounts the mythological origins of rice and fish, reinforcing the cosmological and ecological significance of the Nadran tradition.

Preparation of Offerings and the Ancak
Community members prepare ancaksmall symbolic boats called ancak, filled with fruits, vegetables, rice, and other agricultural produce. A buffalo is ritually slaughtered, and its head becomes the main offering—adorned with makeup like a bride and symbolically “married” to the sea.

Procession Through the Village
Once prepared, the ancak and offerings are paraded around the village. This festive procession is accompanied by prayers and blessings from local clerics and spiritual leaders.

Pelarungan: Casting Offerings into the Sea
The ancak, along with the buffalo head and other offerings, is cast into the Java Sea in a solemn ceremony called pelarunganThis act of release is believed to honor the protective sea spirits and strengthen the harmony between humans and nature.

Anointing of Boats with Holy Water
Fishermen return to shore to wash their boats with air setaman—flower water made from seven types of blossoms that has been blessed. This ritual purifies the boats and prepares them for the next cycle of fishing.

Budhug Basu: Myth, Wayang, and Sacred Symbolism

The obligatory wayang performance in the Nadran tradition, Budhug Basuis a poetic allegory of life, death, and transformation. The story tells of the encounter between Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice, and Budhug Basu (also known as Budug Basuh), the sea deity who is cursed with a skin disease.

Although they are drawn to each other, Dewi Sri rejects Budhug Basu upon discovering his affliction. Budhug Basu dies in sorrow, vowing to be united with Dewi Sri in the afterlife. Their union is symbolized in daily life through the pairing of rice and fish on a plate—two essential staples born from a story of grief and love.

The performance ends with kidung the kidung (sacred chant), and the puppet rods are dipped into water to create air suciholy water, which is then used to bless fishing boats—once again linking myth, ritual, and ecology.

Acculturation and Continuity: Hinduism, Islam, and the Sacred Sea

Nadran is a living example of harmonious religious acculturation. Ancient Hindu mantras and offerings have been transformed into prayers and practices sedekah within Islamic tradition. Whereas people once worshiped deities such as Hyang, they now give thanks to Allah. Although its form has changed, the spiritual essence of the ceremony—gratitude, sacrifice, and respect for nature—remains enduring.

Some critics consider this ritual to be in conflict with Islamic teachings (musyrik), but this view overlooks the profound spiritual synthesis contained within it. Rather than reflecting religious conflict, Nadran demonstrates continuity and adaptation—showing how culture can remain faithful to its traditional roots while evolving over time.

This kind of cultural resilience is explained by Koentjaraningrat in his adaptation of Clyde Kluckhohn’s theory on the Seven Universal Elements of CultureWithin this framework, rituals and ceremonies are the most resistant to change, and Nadran is a beautiful example of this resilience within Indonesia’s dynamic cultural landscape.

Nadran and Biocultural Diversity

Indonesia is known as one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity and cultural richness in the world, with over 1,100 ethnic groups and more than 700 languages spoken across 17,500 islands. Nadran is a microcosm of this diversity—a place where environment and culture meet, intertwine, and give rise to meaningful shared expressions.

The use of the buffalo in Nadran is not unique, but part of a wide range of cultural practices around the world—from the bull symbol on Mesopotamian harps and the Indus Valley hieroglyphs, to the Minotaur of Crete, as well as the Ngaben cremation rites in Bali and the Rambu Solo ceremonies of the Toraja people in Sulawesi.

Contemporary Reflections and Artistic Interventions

In recent years, artists and researchers have begun exploring Nadran through new creative formats. One such project, Sea Offerings, Wayang, and Meis a post-traditional wayang performance by Matthew Cohen, a puppeteer with decades of experience in Java.

In this performance, which also serves as research, Cohen combines documentary footage of actual Nadran ceremonies with autobiographical storytelling, ecological commentary, and comic interludes. The project features scenes of buffalo heads being prepared and cast into the sea, wayang performances interwoven with philosophical reflections, and contemplations on intercultural understanding, environmental change, and spiritual renewal.

Cohen’s work highlights both the expressive power and the ecological messages embedded in Nadran. It raises critical questions about cultural translation, access to ancestral heritage, and the role of sacred traditions in an era of globalization and climate crisis.