The Story Of Loro Blonyo – Javanese Traditional Statue

Loro Blonyo is a miniature of traditional Javanese bridegroom.The statue is a symbol of the God and Goddess of fertility in Javanese culture: Devi (Goddess) Cri and God Sadono.Java is an island, part of the Indonesian archipelago whose society is very rich in customs and traditions.
Loro Blonyo is the Javanese words of “two become one”.Devi Cri and God Sadono are very much worshipped by Javanese rural community especially by farmers.Traditional Javanese farmers feel very much attached to Devi Cri, as they called her “mother Cri”.The farmers believe that their crop is the gift of kindness from the Devi.


Traditional Loro Blonyo


Traditionally, a farmer will dedicate a room in his home to house the statue.

The room must be equipped with certain furnitures and ornaments arranged in certain order.There must be a wooden bed fully ornamented with crafty design, which is located in the centre of the room and a pot full of water which must be placed in front of the bed along with a stack of paddy.The statue will be placed beside the paddy.For traditional Javanese society, this requirement is quite expensive.Only rich farmers can keep Loro Blonyo statue in their houses.The richer the farmer, the grandeur will the statue, the ornaments and the furniture in the room be.Loro Blonyo becomes a sort of a wealth symbol for its owner.The farmers believe that by keeping the statue in their houses, they will have good luck in their farming activity and that the Devi will bless them with many children.Traditional Loro Blonyo is represented by man and woman dressed in traditional Javanese outfit, with traditional hairdo and traditional accessories.They will stand or sit in a very formal manner.


Modern Loro Blonyo


Almost all Javanese farmers these days, no longer follow the sacred philosophy of Loro Blonyo.The penetration of Islamic culture as well as other religions such as Christianity had lead to the extinction of this tradition.Aalthough the statue can still frequently be seen in many traditional Javanese wedding ceremony as a symbol of union between man and woman, many people, especially the younger generations do not even know what Loro Blonyo is.It has no longer regarded as the patron of the farmers.Many families still keep the statue inside their house, but they are now treated as merely decoration of the house.The statue is no longer has its sacred room, instead it is placed in the living room, or any other room, together with any other decorations of the house.The statue is quite popular nowadays as souvenir amongst both domestic and overseas tourist who come to Central Java.


The appearance of modern day’s Loro Blonyo had also greatly changed.They no longer stand or sit in a formal manner only.They now have more cheerful and gay appearance.Their outfits, which are still traditional, are now full of modern touch here and there.  Their hair style is also more modern.Some statues even have completely modern hairdo and accessories.Devi Cri is often manifested as sexy woman just like today’s model with appealing smile and stylist apparel.The appearance of the Devi had definitely followed the modern day’s definition of beauty.
 

Article Written by Yovita Siswati


Post Your Comment

Related Articles

  • Ancient Roman Graffiti: History On A Piece Of Wall

    Public markings crafted by ancient Roman on their city wall which survived to this day are an important socio cultural heritage. They provide evidence of the daily life of the commoner at that time of Roman Empire.

    History

    The habit to craft letters or images on properties later known as “graffiti” had begun since prehistoric time when our prehistoric ancestor made cave paintings using animal bones and natural pigments to mark territory, record successful hunting expedition, or simply to describe wildlife scene.

  • Dark Original Version Of Classic Fairytale: Pinocchio’s Extreme Poverty And Gruesome Death

    This classic Italian story had evolved for centuries since it was first written as a children novel by Carlo Collodi. The original version is far from being beautiful. It is on the contrary a depressing story with a tragic ending.

  • How To Make Your Kitchen Greener: Solution To A More Eco-Friendly Kitchen

    Kitchen is the first place to start when you want to make your house more environmentally friendly because kitchen consumes the most energy. Just imagine all those electrical appliances used, all the food stored and processed and all the cleaning needed in a modern kitchen. Kitchen is surely an energy-eater. May this guide help you to have a more eco-friendly kitchen.

    Kitchen Design

  • How To Handle Cranky Toddler

    Toddler’s crankiness is a normal thing. Children of very young age get cranky from time to time. However, there may be days when they can get unusually grumpy. Children, unlike adults have limited skill to manage their frustration. They need help to change their mood. Here is some check list to consider when handling a cranky toddler.

  • Dark Original Version Of Classic Fairytale: Sleeping Beauty: The Curse, The Rape And The Ogress

    Sleeping Beauty is one of many classic tales that has many twisted versions. The most popular version, the one we are most familiar with is the one written by Brother Grimms in 18th century. The earlier versions are however full of shocking plots and various bizarre endings.

  • Snow White : The Canibal Queen And Necrophiliac Prince

    Snow White is a sweet story of an innocent girl fighting for her life. Do you know that the original version of Snow White fairytale is full of shocking plots?The Grimm’s collection is our only source of the original version of the story as Perrault did not include Snow White in his collection. Grimm made two versions. The first was recorded in 1810 and known as the “peasant version”. In this first version there were no stepmother and prince.

  • Dark Original Version Of Classic Fairytale: The Girl Without Hands: The Weeping Of Mutilated Girl

    This fairytale has many variants. The story is known with different tittles in different countries. However the main line of the story remains the same, a maiden’s hand is chopped by member of her own family.


    Who is the maiden, why her family wants to cut her hands?

  • Dark Original Version Of Classic Fairytale: Red Little Riding Hood – The Cannibalism

    Little Red Riding Hood, like any other classic fairy tale, is originated from ancient folklore that had been orally told for centuries from one generation to the next by often illiterate people before being written down. The tale had been considerably changing and subject to numerous adaptations as they spread throughout the world.

  • Rafflesia Arnoldii, The Largest, Foul Smelling Flower In The World On The Brink Of Extinction

    First discovered by Sir Thomas Stanford Raffles and his assistant Dr. Joseph Arnold in Bengkulu, Sumatra in 1818, this flower had fascinated the world by its big size and strong odor of decomposing flesh. Now this famous flower is on the brink of extinction.

    Habitat

  • Most Notorious Psychopaths In History

    Psychopaths are people with chronic immoral behavior who gain satisfaction through antisocial actions. They have uncontrollable aggressive impulses. Psychopathy does not always lead to criminal behavior. However when psychopathic is accompanied with low social cognition, it will usually lead to pathological narcissism. This narcissism drives violence behavior towards others and triggers failure in relationship and in keeping an occupation. A psychopath never feels remorse for their actions

    Albert Hamilton Fish