Sengkolo and Satu Suro: The Dialectics of Islamic Theology and the Kenduri Suro Tradition in Central Java, Indonesia
Abstract
Among Javanese communities in Central Java, Indonesia, the month of Suro (Muharram) is widely regarded as a sacred period believed to be associated with the possibility of sengkolo (misfortune). This belief gives rise to Kenduri Suro, a communal ritual that embodies the interaction between Javanese cosmology and Islamic theology. This study investigates how Kenduri Suro operates as a socio-religious mechanism to negotiate tensions between these belief systems and how local Islamic interpretations shape the meaning of sengkolo. This qualitative descriptive study employed an anthropological approach informed by Émile Durkheim’s theory of social solidarity. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and participant observations involving selected religious leaders and community members. The findings show that Kenduri Suro serves as a site of negotiation where Islamic values, such as prayer, almsgiving, and monotheism, reinterpret and transform pre-Islamic traditions without completely eliminating Javanese cosmological symbols. Kenduri Suro wards off sengkolo, builds social cohesion, and reduces potential theological conflict. This study highlights Kenduri Suro as an adaptive and communicative expression of local Islam, contributing to broader debates on the dynamic negotiation between religion, local culture, and religious authority.
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