Tabuik | |
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![]() Tabuik being lowered into the sea in Pariaman | |
Status | active |
Frequency | every year |
Country | Indonesia |
Part of a series on |
Husayn |
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A Tabuik is the local manifestation of the Mourning of Muharram, in particular Ashura in Twelver Shi'a Islam, among the Minangkabau people in the coastal regions of West Sumatra, Indonesia, particularly in the city of Pariaman.
A "tabuik" also refers to the towering funeral bier carried around during the remembrance procession. It is similar in form to totem poles in the Northwest Coast art of indigenous peoples of North America.
Since 1831, the practice of throwing a tabuik into the sea has taken place every year in Pariaman on Ashura, which is the 10th of Muharram. [1] The practice was introduced to the region by the Twelver Shia sepoy troops from India or West Asia who were stationed—and later settled—there during the British Raj. [1]
The festival includes reenactments of the Battle of Karbala and the playing of tassa and dhol drums. Although initially a Twelver festival, nowadays, most Pariaman inhabitans and other Southeastern Asians hold similar festivals, which are even celebrated by non-Muslims.
The remembrance is referred to as Tabut or Tabot in Indonesian. Tabut is the name given in the Quran for the Ark of the Covenant. One or more tabuiks made from bamboo, rattan, and paper are usually prepared for the ceremony. Activities held during the week of Tabuik include kite races, traditional plays, and dance expositions such as the Tari Piring . The memorial draws a large crowd, including dignitaries like the provincial governor. Visitors and celebrants can observe the tabuik in the morning before it is slowly taken to the beach in a procession. At noon, the tabuik is thrown into the sea. Afterwards, many people go swimming to make 'memories' of the tabuik to cherish.
Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in Islam. For Sunni Muslims, the day marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites, celebrated through supererogatory fasting and other acceptable expressions of joy. By contrast, Ashura is a day of mourning for Shia Muslims, who annually commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam. Husayn was killed, alongside most of his relatives and his small retinue, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya. The Shia rituals span the first ten days of Muharram, culminating on Ashura with mourning processions in Shia cities. Also in Muharram, the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem was initially set as the direction of prayer for early Muslims.
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi), or about the same size as Switzerland, with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2023 was 5,757,210. The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.
Ashura is a day of commemoration in Islam. It occurs annually on the tenth of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura marks the parting of the Red Sea by Moses and the salvation of the Israelites. Also on this day, Nuh disembarked from the Ark, God forgave Adam, and Joseph was released from prison, among various other auspicious events having occurred on Ashura according to Sunni tradition. Ashura is celebrated in Sunni Islam through supererogatory fasting and other acceptable expressions of joy. In some Sunni communities, the annual Ashura festivities include carnivals, bonfires, and special dishes, even though some Sunni scholars have criticized such practices.
Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with 87.06% of the Indonesian population identifying themselves as Muslims, based on civil registry data in 2023. In terms of denomination, the overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslims; the Pew Research Center estimates them as comprising ~99% of the country's Muslim population in 2011, with the remaining 1% being Shia who are concentrated around Jakarta and about 400,000 Ahmadi as well.
A husayniyya is a building designed specifically for gatherings of Shia Muslims for spiritual practice, religious education and commemoration ceremonies, especially the Mourning of Muharram. The Husayniyya is a multipurpose hall for the commemoration rituals of Shia and gets its name from Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. They are referred to as Takya among Sunni Muslims and have common origin.
Hosay is a Muslim Indo-Caribbean commemoration that is popularly observed in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. In Trinidad and Tobago, multi-coloured model mausoleums or mosque-shaped model tombs known as tadjah are used to display the symbolic part of this commemoration. They are built and paraded, then ritually taken to the sea on last day of observance, and finally discarded into the water. The word tadjah derived from the Arabic word ta'zieh and signifies different cultural meanings depending on the region, time period, occasion, and religion. In Guyana, and Suriname, the festival is called Taziya or in Caribbean Hindustani tadjah in reference to these floats, arguably the most visible and decorative element of this festival.
Pariaman, is a coastal city in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Pariaman covers an area of 73.36 km2 (28 sq mi), with a 12 km (7 mi) coastline. It had a population of 79,043 at the 2010 Census and 94,224 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 97,206 - comprising 49,131 males and 48,075 females. "Pariaman" means "safe area".
Ta'zieh means comfort, condolence, or expression of grief. It comes from the roots aza which mean mourning. It commonly refers to passion plays about the Battle of Karbala and its prior and subsequent events. Sir Lewis Pelly began the preface of his book about Ta'ziyeh maintaining that "If the success of a drama is to be measured by the effects which it produces upon the people for whom it is composed, or upon the audiences before whom it is represented, no play has ever surpassed the tragedy known in the Mussulman world as that of Hasan and Husain." Years later Peter Chelkowski, professor of Iranian and Islamic studies at New York University, chose the same words for the beginning of his book Ta`ziyeh, Ritual and Drama in Iran.
Mourning of Muharram is a set of religious rituals observed by Shia Muslims during the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. These annual rituals commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam. Husayn and his small retinue were slaughtered in the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram 61 AH against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid I. The battle followed Husayn's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Yazid, who is often portrayed by Muslim historians as impious and immoral. In Shia Islam, Karbala symbolizes the eternal struggle between good and evil, the pinnacle of self-sacrifice, and the ultimate sabotage of Muhammad's prophetic mission. Historically, the event served to crystallize the Shia community into a distinct sect and remains an integral part of their religious identity to date.
Minangkabau businesspeople refers to merchants from the Minangkabau Highlands in central Sumatra, Indonesia. Minangkabau are the ethnic majority in West Sumatra and Negeri Sembilan. Minangkabau are also a recognised minority in other parts of Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Singapore and the Netherlands.
Tatbir is a form of self-flagellation rituals practiced by some Shia Muslims in commemoration of the killing of Husayn ibn Ali and his partisans in the Battle of Karbala by forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I.
Tasu'a is the ninth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Tasu'a is followed by Ashura, tenth of Muharram, which marks the death of Husayn ibn Ali, a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam. Husayn refused on moral grounds to pledge his allegiance to the Umayyad caliph Yazid I and was subsequently killed, alongside most of his male relatives and his small retinue, by the Umayyad army in the Battle of Karbala on Ashura 61 AH. Among the Shia minority, mourning for Husayn is viewed as an act of protest against oppression, a struggle for God, and a means of securing the intercession of Husayn in the afterlife. Ashura is observed through mourning gatherings, processions, and dramatic reenactments. In such ceremonies, Shia mourners strike their chests to share in the pain of Husayn. Extreme self-flagellation, often involving self-inflicted bloodshed, remains controversial among the Shia, condemned by many Shia clerics, and outlawed in some Shia communities.
Shi'a Islam in Indonesia represents a small minority in that largely-Sunni Muslim country. Around one million Indonesians are Shias, who are concentrated around Jakarta. Indonesian Shia are found in areas of Java, Madura and Sumatra.
Indonesia and Iran established diplomatic relations in 1950. Indonesia has an embassy in Tehran, and Iran has an embassy in Jakarta. Both countries are full members of the World Trade Organization (WTO), The Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), BRICS and Developing 8 Countries.
The Indang is a form of traditional Indonesian (Minangkabau) art performance originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. Indang dance grows and develops in the Minangkabau community as a portrayal of the arrival of Islam in West Sumatra in the 13th century.
Islam is the most common religion in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, embraced by 97.42% of the population. The Muslim population increases to 99.6% if it excludes the Mentawai Islands, where the majority of the non-Muslim (Protestant) West Sumatrans reside. Islam in West Sumatra is predominantly Sunni, though there is a small Shia Islamic pocket within the coastal city of Pariaman. The Minangkabau people, indigenous to West Sumatra, comprise 88% of the West Sumatran population today and have historically played an important role within Indonesia's Muslim community. Up until today, the region is considered one of the strongholds of Islam in Indonesia.
Burhanuddin Ulakan Pariaman, also known as Sheikh Burhanuddin Ulakan, was an Islamic cleric (ulama) from the Minangkabau region. He is regarded as the pioneer of Islamic propagators in West Sumatra. He is also known as a commanding figure of the Islamic movements against the Dutch colonization. Regarding his Islamic belief, he was a Sufi murshid belonging to the Shattari tariqa based in Minangkabau region.
Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.
Baginda Dahlan Abdullah was an Indonesian educator, politician, and diplomat of Minangkabau descent who served as the first ambassador of the United States of Indonesia to the Kingdom of Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.