Keep The Traditions with Pranatacara

Iman D. Nugroho

There are many ways to keeps traditions. One of it is learn pranatacara. In entire Java, there is only one school; 2nd Trenggalek Senior High School has used it as an extracurricular. That’s why, students of Trenggalek used Javanese language proudly.

"Suwah rep data pitana hananging pundita sasana rinengga engkang dinten menika kagirangaken minangka papan mugiharjosuta."

That “weird” sentence said by Nuraini, student of 2nd Trenggalek Senior High School. Not like others Javanese words, what Nuraini’s said isn’t usual words. “We call it kromo inggil, the highest level of Javanese language,” Nuraini said.

Usually, that kind of language was used by special person in highest level of Javanese cultures. Like members or Javanese Kingdom in Jogjakarta. So, why young people like Nuraini, who is also not a member of Javanese Kingdom used it? “Because I love it, I have learned it from my school’s extracurricular called pranatacara, and I found it such as interested language,” he said.

Pranatacara is Javanese technical term for master of ceremony activities. Javanese usually used pranatacara for a Javanese wedding ceremony. Unfortunately there’s not many Javanese understood pranatacara. Mostly Javanese people have chosen modern kind of wedding ceremony which more simple. Without used pranatacara of course. Because of it, pranatacara which also part of Javanese culture was gone slowly.

That’s why 2nd Trenggalek Senior High School, specially the Head Master Sugeng Winarno have an idea to teach pranatacara for his students. “I have invited Indonesian Brotherhood of Culture People (Permadani) of Jogjakarta to came here and teach my student about pranatacara,” he said.

Start in September 2007, in every Sunday, pranatacara has taught to 80 students and 10 teachers. They were taught renggeping wicoro(how to speaks), kapranacaran(how to manage a ceremony), toto kromo(high level Javanese rules), siker setanan, padhuwungan (Javanese language knowledge), ngadat toto coro Jowo (learn Javanese cultures), and many more.

“Actually, pranatacara is not a new things for us, but we almost never used it anymore, that’s why we often laugh when Permadani teach us for a first time,” Sugeng said. The most difficult thing of pranatacara’s is learned how to speak kromo inggil and Javanese literature. Students must memorize it and practice in front of their class.

Nuraini is the best pranatacara’s student. He got highest scores on a pranatacara’s test. “Well, I don’t know why, maybe because I was very interested, so easy for me to do it,” Nuraini said. Javanese language is not new things for him. He used it on his daily conversation. “Even I’m not expert on it, but I usually used it at home, especially with my family,” he said.

Sadly, became the best pranatacara put him on a difficult situation. His friends often used Javanese for a joke. Nuraini’s friends more interest to modern Indonesian slank language. “Not like me, my friends used Jakartans dialog, so that why they made kromo inggil as joke, but honestly, I don’t care about it,” he said.

Febri Yogawati, another pranatacara student saw pranatacara as a deep meaning language. When she was thought it for a first time, she was amazed. “Especially when I was learned about Javanese literature, I was found many philosophies sentence hided on it,” she said. That’s why Febri have planned to learn more about Javanese literature in a college after graduate from senior high school.

Febri said it’s important for students to learn more about local cultures. By it student can understand more about their local wisdom, which also have a deep meaning. “It’s very useful for us, we can see our life deeper,” she said. The pranatacara’s student has graduate on May 10.