1. Pranata Mangsa
Promoting the renewed use of the traditional Javanese calendar, Pranata Mangsa, which was prohibited during the reign of Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusuma as part of the Islamization of Java, is not an easy task. Nevertheless, reviving the use of this calendar is important for restoring traditional farming and fishing practices and helping communities adapt more effectively to natural conditions, as the Pranata Mangsa calendar is based on seasonal patterns and observations of nature.
Tradition cannot be separated from the calendar, as the calendar determines the daily activities of a community. The way time is calculated is also closely connected to geographical location—the position of a place in relation to the east, south, west, and other cardinal directions on Earth. These positions, measured in relation to the movement of the sun and the moon, influence the duration of sunlight and, consequently, the calculation of day and night as well as the changing of days.
When the calendar used by our society no longer bases its calculations on the geographical position of where we live, including our latitude in relation to the equator, but instead adopts measurements based on the position of other regions that have different relationships to the sun and the moon, this can lead to inaccurate calculations and, consequently, errors in determining seasonal patterns (salah mangsa).
Errors in determining seasons can have significant consequences for agriculture, livestock, and fisheries. A further consequence is the manipulation of seasonal conditions, which may encourage excessive reliance on chemical inputs to achieve optimal agricultural yields. Over time, this can contribute to environmental degradation, including the increasing impacts of rising temperatures.
For this reason, it is important to revive the use of the Pranata Mangsa calendar in the daily lives of communities across the Indonesian archipelago, particularly among communities living on the island of Java. This can be supported through accessible and relevant educational materials that enable younger generations and the wider public to rediscover the traditional Javanese system of seasonal and calendar calculation—a system that has guided the lives, agricultural practices, and relationship with nature of communities in the archipelago for generations.
2. Ujung Galuh
This program aims to build collective awareness among the people of Surabaya, particularly younger generations, about the history of the city’s origins and to strengthen their understanding of the distinct character and identity of the “Arek-arek Suroboyo” within the broader social and civic life of Indonesia.
The program will involve adapting historical accounts into an operetta script that can be performed at various national commemorations and during celebrations marking the anniversary of the city of Surabaya. The collective awareness and sense of identity developed among young Surabayans through this process are expected to become an important foundation for their future contribution to the development of Indonesia.
The script will be developed in collaboration with higher education institutions, particularly the Departments of History and Cultural Anthropology at Universitas Airlangga. Once completed, the script will be disseminated and reviewed by theater practitioners. Their feedback will be incorporated to ensure that the script can be easily adapted and independently performed by children’s groups across East Java.
The script will then be brought to life with children through a casting and audition process conducted in collaboration with schools and several arts communities. The training process will be carried out in collaboration with the East Java Arts Council. A number of children will be selected to participate in rehearsals and eventually perform in the operetta “Perang di Ujung Galuh: Babat Kawit Surabaya.” Hundreds of children will be involved in the production to reflect the scale of the historical war depicted in the story. Rehearsals will be held face-to-face three times a week.
The performance will be held in Surabaya, for example at the Surabaya Arts Center, to coincide with Heroes’ Day on November 10. The event will invite historians, representatives of the city and provincial governments, representatives of friendly countries, and schools.
The performance will be documented according to professional performing-arts documentation standards and uploaded to the operetta team’s official social media accounts. In addition, an audio recording of the script will be made available on online platforms such as Spotify in the form of a radio drama, allowing Surabaya residents and people across Indonesia to listen to it free of charge at any time.
3. Garudeya
Every temple carries profound philosophical meaning through its architecture, statues, and reliefs. These elements make temples more than just physical structures; they were highly regarded by their founders and communities in the past because the philosophical messages embodied within them served as moral guidance for both rulers and their people.
One example can be found at Kidal Temple in Malang Regency. Built during the Singhasari Kingdom period, the temple features reliefs depicting the story of Garudeya.
The story of Garudeya later became one of the inspirations considered in the creation of Indonesia’s national emblem. The committee responsible for designing the national emblem during President Sukarno’s era sought a symbol that represented dignity, noble character, courage, and the spirit of the Indonesian nation.
The story tells of Garudeya’s journey to obtain Tirta Amerta, the sacred water of immortality, in order to free his mother, Dewi Winata, from the control of Dewi Kadru and the serpents associated with her. Obtaining Tirta Amerta, which was guarded by the gods and associated with Lord Vishnu, was not an easy task.
Driven by his deep devotion to his mother, Garudeya continued to struggle despite the many challenges he faced. Eventually, he succeeded in obtaining the sacred water and freeing his mother.
Garudeya’s determination to save his mother symbolizes courage, devotion, loyalty, and perseverance. His story can be understood as an inspiration for the sons and daughters of Indonesia to protect their Motherland with courage, sincere dedication, loyalty to goodness, and a strong spirit of struggle.
These values contributed to the symbolic importance of Garuda, which is now widely recognized as Garuda Pancasila, the national emblem of Indonesia.
The visual representation of Garudeya is also associated with the image of a powerful bird and is often linked to the Javan hawk-eagle, a bird that carries strong symbolic significance in Indonesian culture. In ancient traditions, Garuda was regarded as a divine bird and the mount of Lord Vishnu.
Unfortunately, there is still limited public literature explaining the cultural and philosophical connections between the ancient story of Garudeya and the development of Indonesia’s national emblem. Understanding Garudeya should therefore go beyond recognizing the physical form of the bird. The values and moral lessons contained within the story should also be understood and appreciated by the wider Indonesian public.
For this reason, audiovisual media, particularly animated films, can play an important role in introducing these stories to a broader audience. Animation can make stories filled with wisdom, cultural heritage, and noble values more accessible and engaging, particularly for young people and children.
The values represented by Garudeya—courage, sincere love for the homeland, loyalty to goodness, devotion to family, and bravery in confronting evil—are values that can contribute to strengthening the character and cultural identity of the Indonesian nation.
