Tobacco harvesting ceremony on Merapi mountainsides as a preservation of cultural values and Javanese inheritance: critical discourse analysis

Abstract

Indonesia is a country with a diversity of cultures and ethnicity. Each region has a unique culture. Thereby, preserving local wisdom is a must in enriching the culture and human nobility. The Tungguk Tobacco is one of the sacred rituals for people at the Merapi mountainsides, Boyolali Regency, as a beginning season of tobacco harvesting. This research used qualitative descriptive approach that is intended to investigate a condition, situation, and another event in the harvesting ceremony where the results are presented as a research report. This research was conducted in Selo District, Boyolali Regency, during the Tungguk Tobacco harvesting traditional ceremony activities and series of ritual events. The detailed results obtained for the subthemes are interrelated. These subthemes include gunungan a mountain or stack of tobacco and agricultural products, the Javanese symbolism of Tungguk Tobacco, and traditional art performances that met the requirements of TVD model analysis.

Keywords:

• Tobacco harvesting
• cultural values
• Javanese language inheritance

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Timothy Clack, School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

SUBJECTS:

• Culture; Heritage Management & Conservation; Language & Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Ethnicity and Culture

Introduction

Indonesia is well known as a very distinctive country due to its composition of many ethnic groups, races, religions, customs, and cultural diversity (Saddhono & Rakhmawati, 2018). Culture is authentic evidence of a country. Each region has its own unique culture, thus creating local wisdom in enriching culture. It is regarded as a form of human nobility (Darmayanti et al., 2022). Hence, using this reason, culture is used to complete life (Riyanti et al., 2019). Furthermore, explanation stated that a cultured society is called a virtuous society now if it can manage assets safely and maintain its locality. This statement is proven by the cohesiveness and desire of the Indonesian community to maintain, own, and even preserve it for generations (Koentjaraningrat, 2002). Tradition is usually believed if the community has one frame of view. In addition, every culture has local wisdom as a basis for thinking and acting (Colucci & Pedroni, 2021).

As traditions, noble values, and local wisdom are owned and lived together for generations by a certain group of people within a nation, culture can be interpreted as a collective identity or identity of a nation (Kromidha et al., 2021). Culture has a central and fundamental role and function as the main foundation in the life order of the nation and state because a nation will become great if cultural values are deeply rooted in the joints of people’s lives (Fauzi et al., 2019). In the current era, cultural values that have been passed down from generation to generation have experienced fading due to the times and technology (Sudarsana et al., 2019). The impact of globalization on traditional people’s habits is very diverse, both positive and negative. One example of the negative impact of globalization is the fading of cultural values among the people. Along with the rapid development of the times in Indonesia and the current globalization, cultural values began to erode because they were eroded by the times and impact of the current globalization (Lotz et al., 2022).

Traditional activities that are still well-known and remain in the keep (uri-uri), and are usually related to magic and religion are ritual activities. Ritual shows the order of symbols that are objectified (Trianingsih et al., 2023). Rituals are usually conducted according to community and formal rules that cannot be performed carelessly (Gnanaolivu et al., 2022). Those activities are usually a form of growing a sense of trust in the forces beyond power (Nugroho et al., 2021). In the ever-evolving tapestry of cultures, certain traditional activities endure the test of time, carefully preserved and held in the sacred realm of ‘uri-uri’ – a space where magic, religion, and community converge. Among these enduring practices, rituals emerge as powerful expressions of symbolic order, as discussed by Tanwin and Rosliani (2020). Rooted in deeply ingrained traditions, rituals are imbued with a significance that transcends the mundane, often forming a bridge between the visible and the mystical. This search delves into the essence of ritual activities, exploring their persistence in contemporary society (Sawitri et al., 2021). Rituals adhere to community and formal rules, demanding a level of reverence and precision that prevents them from being performed carelessly. The very nature of rituals reflects a profound understanding of the delicate balance between tradition and adherence to established norms (Gnanaolivu et al., 2022).

Central to these ritual activities is the cultivation of trust in forces beyond human power, as articulated by Nurfadillah et al.(2023). Whether rooted in animistic beliefs, spiritual practices, or religious traditions, these rituals serve as conduits for individuals and communities to connect with the unseen, fostering a sense of trust and harmony with the metaphysical forces that shape their existence (Hastuti et al., 2021). Through an exploration of various forms of ritual activities, this article aims to unravel the intricate layers of cultural significance and spiritual connection embedded in these practices (Fauzi et al., 2020). By understanding the nuanced interplay between tradition, community, and spirituality, we can appreciate the role of rituals in not only preserving the past but also in shaping the collective identity and sense of belonging in the present and future.

Among other traditions is called Tungguk Tembakau. This is one of the sacred rituals which is still alive in the Selo District of Boyolali Regency before harvesting tobacco. People who live on mountain slopes up to 1000 meters above sea level traditionally plant corn and vegetables instead of tobacco farming. As it turns out, the price of tobacco is much higher compared to other crops. As a result, when the tobacco harvest season arrives, the farming community will rejoice with various entertainments in addition to various rituals such as traditions carried out by their ancestors.

Administratively, Boyolali is directly adjacent to Semarang, Klaten, Yogyakarta, and Magelang regencies. This area is surrounded by four volcanoes, namely Merapi, Merbabu, Sindoro and Sumbing. Among the border areas of the district, there are people living under the mountainous area of Merapi Vulcano who hold the Tungguk Tobacco ritual, which is performed in the month of Suro (based on the Javanese lunar calendar). The ritual is usually carried out by displaying several series of sacred and local events, namely, the Gunungan parade (kirab gunungan), tumpeng rice sramble (rebutan tumpeng), and cultural community performances. Though, the Tungguk Tembakau ritual is a beginning of tobacco harvesting traditional ceremony in Boyolali area that has recently been carried out massively and simultaneously. Recently, there were eleven communities that decided to hold the ritual together, simultaneously and as lively as possible, since the previous rituals were carried out individually and two years absence due to covid-19 pandemic circumstances.

The Tungguk Tembakau ritual is a cultural heritage that presents material elements in the form of the main harvesting ceremony, like other ceremonies in the mountainside area of the Merapi volcano (Nurfadillah et al., 2023). One of the most important and a must in the ritual is, namely tumpeng, cone-shaped of cooked rice with side dishes of a vegetable variety of vegetables, meats, snacks, and appetizers (Aswad et al., 2018). These elements are presented as they consider to have a moral mandate or value to the community. The philosophical meaning of each part of the ceremony, elements and materials are carried out in Javanese. The primacy of using the Javanese language in every traditional ceremony is a form of local wisdom that can inherit the values of Javanese society (Hastuti et al., 2021). Accordingly, all series of ceremonial processes including instructions, messages, speeches and utterances done in this tobacco harvesting ritual are delivered in Javanese.

The use of Javanese language that is packaged properly and interestingly will be easily understood by the public (Pramuniati et al., 2023). The use of Javanese language is also part of the delivery of local wisdom as well as politeness, manners and ethics for the preservation of Javanese customs in the midst of global intensity (Rakhmawati & Istiana, 2021). As the primary language for most people in Java, understanding the meaning of messange is a must. Meanwhile, Wahyuni et al. (2021) state that discourse analysis places more emphasis on the recording or minutes of the process of using language to convey the objectives in certain contexts.

The steps to facilitate the use of language implemented in social communities usually use discourse. In the field of research, discourse analysis has a heterogeneous approach (Bezanson & McNamara, 2019). Discourse, according to the functionalist view, is also called the study of all aspects of language use. Literacy that comes from cognitive matters also involves the socio-cultural context in discourse (Coupland, 2009). There is a significant difference between spoken and written discourse. Spoken discourse contains a voice. On the other hand, writing discourse is, for example, stated in written form in the news media. Linguistic and non-linguistic (cultural) elements are integrated into this study to produce a complete language. The main approach to obtain the result in this case use critical discourse analysis as this method of discourse analysis is not limited to the scope of culture and social science (de Beaugrande, 2006).

Linguistic phenomena can be found everywhere, not just in everyday life. Hastuti et al. (2021) state that the existence of spoken text will always be related to levels that will affect language. These levels are divided into two, namely: (1) extralinguistic contains cultural and situational links, (2) interlinguistic contains semantics, lexicogrammatical, and expressions that produce phonology (Hastuti et al., 2021). In this research, every expression, word and phrase used in the ceremony were recorded to find out meaning, message, guidelines and values for the local community.

Many studies in discourse focus on one aspect of language that is appropriate to the context (Mondahl et al., 2023). In this study, the structural analysis used is the Van Dijk discourse analysis model. There are three levels in Van Dijk’s text analysis, namely (1) macrostructure, which is the global meaning of a text based on the topic, (2) superstructure, which relates to the parts of the text that are composed; and (3) microstructure which consists of the smallest elements in the language (Van Dijk, 1985).

The elements of the Van Dijk model are described very broadly from the title to the closing level. The macro element discusses the form and meaning of the title; meanwhile, the superstructural mentions the process of activities or structured discourse texts. Microstructure as part of the text related to linguistic features such as words and sentences. At the syntactic level, sentence types consist of declarative and imperative sentences. The definition of a declarative sentence itself is a sentence whose contents are addressed to another person (Krahmadie et al., 2019). Imperative sentences are sentences that are used to urge audiences to do something, and these sentences are in the form of commands, appeals, and prohibitions (Astriani et al., 2023).

Several previous relevant studies related to discourse structure analysis have been carried out by several researchers, including the research by Thohir et al. (2020) related to discourse structure analysis of texbook materials for arabic language. The same research conducted by Onoja et al. (2022) also shows the results of an analysis of the discourse structure in Manenung’s utterances of the Hindu Dayak Community in Palangkaraya. Similarly, research conducted by Krahmadie et al. (2019) which was analyzed using discourse analysis explicates the sacred rituals at wedding ceremonies in Javanese society. Some of these studies have a similar review, yet they do not discuss the object of study at the same location. In addition, what distinguishes this study from other research is related to the scope taken. This study will focus on the analysis of cultural discourse, where the activities of Tungguk Tembakau tradition as a ritual tradition have their own symbols and meanings and are currently being magnificently held after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Therefore, based on the previous explanation, this research is essential since it aims to describe the structured system of discourse analysis in the Tungguk Tembakau tradition in Boyolali as a form of gratitude to God. In the process of analysis, the researcher’s purpose to identify the textual structures that come from the direct instructions and speeches in a series of events: the intended textual structure that is the macro level to express the implied meaning; the superstructure to reveal the stages or parts of the text that are composed; and the micro level to express language. Thus, this research article will focus on the structure that exists in oral discourse on the ritual of tobacco harvesting tradition in Boyolali, especially in Javanese communities on the slopes of Mount Merapi.

Methods

This research used qualitative descriptive research to investigate a condition, situation, or another event where the results would be presented in the form of a research report (Creswell, 2009). This research was conducted in Selo District, Boyolali Regency, when the Tungguk Tembakau ritual activities took place. The data collection was carried out by conducting observation and in-depth interviews in the form of direct speech and material elements. This study employed a continuous analysis technique to complete its process successfully by using the Teun Van Dijk (aka: TVD) discourse analysis model. Furthermore, the type of data used was namely oral and written data. The data was confirmed by experts or cultural experts through a triangulation process of sources and methods. Next, this study used interactive data analysis of Teun Van Dijk discourse analysis model. Therefore, this research only focused on social cognition in the language field known as Critical Discourse Analysis.

Discussion

Based on the findings and analysis of research data, sources could be obtained from observing the Tungguk Tembakau ritual in Selo Village, Boyolali District. This tradition was performed in the month of Suro, when the tobacco harvest season arrived. The analysis of the discourse structure of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual in detail, is as follows.

As shows in Table 1, one of the sequences of the Tungguk Tobacco ceremony, namely the Gunungan procession, which brings various natural products using various means, but by shouldered and carried out over the head using special tools made from bamboo. The Tungguk Tobacco Festival begins with a carnival that brings various sizes and types of rice tumpeng, farmers’ vegetable production and local fruits, as well as tobacco leaves. Then the gunungan was taken to the Gunungsari graveyard. The main purpose of this activity is to give and show gratitude to Almighty God. Apart from that, residents are expected to continue preserving Javanese culture through this festival. All these processes use Javanese language to inform, organize, convey the message, and meaning of each step of the ceremony led by traditional elders.

Table 1. Process of Gunungan Parade (Kirab Gunungan) based on TVD model (Van Dijk, 2015).

Discourse level	Element	Output
Macrostructure	Theme	Gunungan parade of tobacco leafs and crops
Superstructure	Scheme	Opening: people flocked to the local village hall to gather. Main Content: people departed for the parade to the burial site. Closing: people put down the gunungan and started a feast which was held on the road leading to the graveyard.
Microstructure	Sentence form	Village elders inform and invite the people to start the gunungan parade.

As seen in Table 2, the Tobacco Ritual Ceremony beginning with the gathering of thousands of people at a village elder’s grave. Groups of residents usually bring three gunungan (stacks of tobacco leaves) which are placed on bamboo equipment and utensils with certain special models and shapes. The Gunungan contains tobacco leaves and agricultural food named after the elders Kiai Anjangsana aka Gunungan Kiai Anjangsana. Several representatives’ figures from the village then picked 16 pieces of tobacco leaves to mark the start of the first harvest. The tobacco leaves were then prayed for by an elderly leader using Javanese. After the ceremony, the mountains of tobacco leaves and piles agricultural products were paraded around the village in a cultural procession. The parade is also supported by cultural arts performances attended by thousands of people from over the mountainsides. This year, the people also brought and arranged 200 ornamental rice tumpeng as a form of gratitude for God’s blessings during the tobacco harvest was then marked by eating with all visitors.

Table 2. Symbolic ritual of Picking and Kirab Tobacco Leaves (Adapted from Van Dijk, 2015).

Discourse level	Element	Output
Macrostructure	Theme	Symbolic ritual of Tungguk Tembakau
Superstructure	Scheme	Opening: the picking process of tobacco leaves by trusted traditional chiefs, tribal leaders, and local village leaders. Content: the process of picking the leaves followed by remarks and documentation. Closing: prayer and eating together.
Microstructure	Sentence form	Greetings from village leaders by providing motivational sentences, directions, and hopes as well as raising the spirit of the community to always preserve the traditions and values of the ancestors. The speeches also remind people the importance of developing local tourism potential through Tobacco Harvesting ceremony.

Table 3 explains the Tobacco traditional ceremony mainly were closed by wayang kulit performance, a related to dances and performances carried out after the Tobacco tradition. So far, the traditional tobacco harvesting ceremony is always closed with shadow puppets as the highlight of the event. Wayang or traditional puppet show interspersed with Javanese dance and Javanese singing. The performance, which follows the tobacco harvesting tradition, is the culminated of the event. As seen in the Table 3, the final performance of the Tungguk Tobacco tradition is a shadow puppet performance as a form of gratitude to God and providing entertainment to the people who have preserved nature and culture. In addition to the shadow puppet show, there is a dance performance, namely the soreng dance.

Table 3. Traditional Performance Adapted from TVD model (Van Dijk, 2015).

Discourse level	Element	Output
Macrostructure	Theme	Regional performing arts accompaniment
Superstructure	Scheme	Opening: performing arts were used to enliven a series of events held. Content: art performances were performed alternately. There were various types of performances, mainly traditional dances called soreng dance. Closing: the Tungguk Tembakau ritual ended with wayang kulit performance.
Microstructure	Sentence form	The master of ceremonies invited and instructed people to watch the performing arts performance and closed the ritual event.

Soreng dance is the name of a folk-art that tells the story of soldiers who are doing gladen or war training during the Dutch colonial in Indonesia. Soreng was warriors from the duke named Aryo Penangsang. Soreng originates from the Central Java region, to be precise, on the slopes between of Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi. Soreng comes from the fusion of the Javanese word ‘sura’, which means brave, and suffix ‘ing’, which gives the sense of pointing to something. The comment Suro is added to then become suro-ing, which melts into word Soreng. Still, it was stopped due to the unfavourable state political situation around 1945s, and then starting around the 1960s, the community initiate folk arts, a soldier’s character called ‘Soreng Dance’. Soreng Dance is played by at least 10 to 12 male dancers. The Soreng art depicts a warrior dance that tells the story of the Duchy of Jipang Panolan led by a Duke named Aryo Penangsang and Patih Ronggo Metahun, along with soldiers including Soreng Rono, Soreng Rungkut, Soreng Pati.

Macro Structure (main topic)

Macrostructure was also known as a topic structure. This structure had a universal meaning to form an understanding or conception based on a topic. The macro analysis process was represented, starting from a topic to become a sentence and, next, as the main idea of the discourse. In addition, the macrostructure was related to semantics since the indirect meaning obtained would be attached to the text or speech. This structure consisted of forms and meanings acquired from the topic of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual. The topics in the three series of events consisted of unique performances. The following is an explanation of the three sub-themes contained in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual.

1. In the first activity, the sub-theme was about tobacco and agricultural products.

2. The next activity was a sub-theme regarding the symbolic ritual of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual in the form of offerings.

3. Last, the third sub-theme was cultural performance events in the form of traditional performing arts.

Based on the presentation of the sub-themes in the three series of the ritual program, the researcher saw the possibility of analyzing the similarities and differences of titles’ meanings assigned by the surrounding of a cultural community. The similarities could be seen through a series of events that promoted local wisdom of earth and culture (Asrial et al., 2022). This could be observed in the title of the tobacco’s gunungan and agricultural products, as well as traditional performing arts that were still being preserved. Likewise, the difference could also be known through the difference in meaning in each title. In choosing the first title, it was clear that there was a gunungan procession which was carried out simultaneously from the point of one location to the next location (Saputri et al., 2019). Meanwhile, the second activity revealed the symbolic presence of Tungguk Tembakau, indicating that the main event had been carried out. The third program sub-theme used a traditional performance title as the closing event. Based on this description, it could be concluded that the three sub-themes of Tungguk Tembakau ritual activities fulfilled the rules of text structure perspective in Teun Van Dijk model. In addition to this, there were differences in context regarding the form of activity. As previously stated, the language used as a medium of everyday communication had different meanings and contexts. Related findings research by Fauzi et al. (2020) regarding the ceremony for beginning of the milling season of sugarcane which symbolized by parading a pair of sugarcane brides and their groomsmen as a symbol fertility which is held in Tasikmadu sugar factory. These findings were also supported by previous research (Rufaidah & Sayekti, 2019) related to the social context, situation, culture, and ideology that existed in the Nyadran ritual in the Kulon Progo and Yogyakarta area.

Superstructure

The superstructure was the framework of the text in the second-dimensional perspective of the Teun Van Dijk model. It was called the superstructure because it described the gradual formation of a text which was arranged based on an inverted pyramid, such as introduction, content, and closing. The compilation of these categories was based on the thoughts and strategies of conveying information through discourse to the general public. These sections had their own respective roles. The title part, as the topic of discourse, had a role in attracting the attention of the audience. In the Tungguk Tobacco event, if the program is not well prepared with many attractions and entertainment, the public and guests will consider that the ritual as an ordinary annual activity. On the other hand, the event was a mandatory ritual that should be carried out every year.

The introduction was used as an overview for the audience to the core of the discourse. Based on the results of the analysis of the three events in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual, it could be stated that the event should have a title that could describe the contents of the series of events to be held. The first series of events was the Gunungan parade functioned as the starting point of the ritual activities, and it would proceed with the following rituals. The second event was symbolism in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual carried out by the Governor of Central Java and local village elders. The last event was the entertainment category, by presenting local performing arts, among others, the tari topeng ireng, jathilan, and ended with wayang kulit performance.

Based on the three sub-themes of the event, there were superstructure elements that had complied with the rules, namely: (1) introduction, (2) content, and (3) closing. The structure used was like the structure in discourse analysis on the news that resonated with Gloria et al. (2020) regarding the level of elements in the news consisting: of the title, introduction, the body of the news, and ending conclusion or closing.

Within the series of ritual events, the Tungguk Tembakau ritual was enlivened by three sub-themes that had their respective objectives. The event held had a material element symbolizing gratitude to God for His grace and gift and blessings in the form of a harvest. First, the master of the Ceremony opened the event, then proceeded with the prayer and informed the event’s agenda. Next, the event was surely accompanied by remarks including the Chairperson of the Committee, Village Elders, Boyolali Regent, Central Java Governor, and several invited guest lecturers from related parties.

Picture 1 explains the life of the people working together to carry out the Tobacco ceremony. In the Tungguk Tobacco ceremony, community togetherness is essential. This ceremony involves the whole community in the villages. Preparation for the ceremony was carried out in cooperation, from preparing the materials needed to preparing the location for the event. When the ceremony begins, the whole community gathers at a predetermined place. They will pray together for blessings and protection from God. During the ceremony, people share tasks and help each other. Some are in charge of cooking food for the guests, some are dancing and singing traditional songs, and some are helping transport the tobacco. In the togetherness of the people who are intertwined in the traditional ceremony of the pile up of tobacco leavesstart from picking, arranging, stacking, and assembling tobacco leaves into beautiful and neat art of gunungan tobacco, a strong sense of unity and oneness can be seen. All community members help each other and work together to complete the tasks so the ceremony runs smoothly and thrives. In conclusion, community togetherness is essential in the traditional ceremony of piling up tobacco leaves. In this togetherness, there is a strong sense of unity and oneness and a high spirit of cooperation. All of that is a manifestation of love and appreciation for the ancestors and the natural wealth given by God.

Picture 1. Diversity and togetherness of the community (the struggle for the tumpeng).

Source: Author’s personal documents.

After those events were completed one by one, the village people performed the Gunung parade by going to the petilasan (a sacred places and holy spring) to accompany the main event. The main part was namely the symbolism of Tungguk Tembakau ritual inaugurated by the Boyolali Regent and the Governor of Central Java. The symbolism began with the cutting of the tumpeng by the Governor of Central Java, followed by the handing over of the gunungan and documentation. Religious leaders were also present to lead the prayer as a sacred ritual. Prayer was not only limited to gratitude but also as an apology for the mistakes that had been made previously. Moreover, people pray together to ask for safety guidance.

Furthermore, Picture 2 shows the Governor of Central Java cutting the pointed tip at the top of the tumpeng rice, to mark the starting of the tobacco harvest in Senden Village, Selo District, Boyolali Regency, Central Java. The beginning of the harvest season is covered in a hereditary tradition held by the villagers under the title of Tobacco Stump Ritual. Every year Ganjar Pranowo as the Central Java Governor is present in this ritual. He then starts the harvest by picking 12 tobacco leaves, accompanied by prayers from the village elders. Previously, Ganjar Pranowo was also asked to cut a large tumpeng as a sign of gratitude for the blessings of the Almighty. Against the background of Mount Merapi, Ganjar Pranowo (Governor of Central Java), who is nicknamed Senopati Tobacco, picks leaf by leaf on a stretch of tobacco plants at an altitude of 106 meters above sea level (asl) as a form of expression of gratitude and thankful to God who has given the earth’s produce, plants that grow well, away from pests during tobacco cultivation, and satisfactory yields with an abundant harvest of tobacco leaves. After the ritual, the product will be processed to the open stage. This year, the public feasted and enliven with various attractions such as drum band and reyog dancers dressed in leaf costumes, all of whose participants are mainly shools’ children, welcome the governor and other goverment officials.

Picture 2. The cutting process of rice tumpeng.

Source: Author’s personal documents (left) and Jatengprov.go.id (right).

Picture 3 explains how the ceremonial procession carried mountains containing agricultural products, tumpeng rice and tobacco leaves. This procession is carried out as part of a traditional ceremony which aims to thank God for the abundant tobacco harvest. The ‘gunungan’ parade is a form of offering from the tobacco harvest, gathered into one large stack that resemble of mountain. The tobacco leaf mountains are then paraded around the villages or area where people who carry out the Tobacco tradition live. The common purpose of the gunungan parade procession is as a form of respect and an expression of the people’s gratitude to God, who has given them abundant tobacco crops. Apart from that, the ‘gunungan’ parade is also considered a means to ask for safety and blessings from God for the people who carry out the Tobacco tradition. The procession of arak gunungan is also a form of preserving local culture, passed down from generation to generation by the people of Magelang and farming communities around Boyolali who mostly live around the slopes of Mount Merapi and Merbabu by carrying out this tradition, people can maintain and develop their cultural identity and maintain the continuity of the traditional cultural heritage that is part of their history and life.

Picture 3. The ‘arak gunungan’ parade during the Tungguk Tembakau Festival in Senden Village, Boyolali, Central Java.

Source: Author’s personal documents (left) and The Jakarta Post (right).

The main event was then closed with the gunungan scramble event. People still believed that fighting over materials in the gunungan could bring blessings. In the past, people were scrambling and trying hard to get a share of the tumpeng that has been prayed for the good of their lives to be more prosperous. The gunungan paraded was usually a spare gunungan as a parade fantasy, so in the scramble for the gunungan, the real/original gunungan was not used. Today, mountain-paraded tumpeng is usually provided with more decorations and knick and knacks, so in the fight and scramble for tumpeng, the actual main tumpeng is not used but in the form of exchanging tumpeng and purpose and as a symbol of togetherness.

Micro structure

Van Dijk divided the text microstructure into several elements, including semantics, syntax, stylistics, and rhetoric (Magne & Ferri, 2023). All of these elements existed in every discourse because they were always inherited in a language. Language cannot be separated from the experience of the socio-cultural community, especially in terms of the use of language (Rivanti & Sukmayadi, 2021). Semantic elements are related to meaning and various references. Meanwhile, the syntax is related to the sentence level. Next, stylistics was connected to language style; on the other hand, rhetoric was attached to language use. As seen in the quoted below, in this ceremony, all words were uttered in old Javanese.

The Tungguk Tembakau ritual discourse consisted of several composing sentences. The introductory part contained declarative and imperative sentences. The main part consisted of imperative and declarative sentences, while the final part was followed by declarative sentences as well. The purpose of the declarative sentence was to inform the public who performed the Tungguk Tembakau ritual. Some of the declarative sentences in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual at the first event are as follows.

• (1) Murwakani atur sumangga kula dherekaken tansah angunjukkaken syukur dateng Allah SWT ingkang sampun kepareng ambabar nugraha kawilujengan rumentah kalian sedanten Ian kula pumka tasih pinarengaken makempal dados setunggal nyawiji kanthi tansah winantu ing suka yuwana basuki.

Transltaion:

To open the event, let us give thanks to the almighty Allah SWT for the blessings that have given health to all of us and meet in this place.

• (2) Sakderengipun kawiwitan kepareng kula ngaturaken urut reruncening adicoro meniko.

Translation

Before starting, please allow me to read the program.

• (3) Saklajengipun, kanthi tansah cumadhong agunging pangaksami; tumrap lepat kuciwaning atur; mugi wonteno keparengipun, kula minangkani kadang panitia nderekaken lampahing adicoro Ritual Tungguk Tembakau.

Translation:

If there were any mistakes or inappropriate remarks, I apologize to all of you; as the representative of the committee, I will accompany and open the Tungguk Tembakau ritual.

In the above sentences, the host, as the guide for the ritual, appealed to and informed people about the preparations for the Tungguk Tembakau ritual. People were allowed to take part in the opening until the end of the event. Sentence (1) was a greeting as well as an invitation to give thanks to God because people could take part in the event in good health. Sentence (2) was a request as well as information conveyed by the host to the public regarding the agenda for the Tungguk Tembakau ritual. Sentence (3) was an expression as well as information to reconcile the people in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual, which would begin soon.

Furthermore, for the main content of the event, the committee chairman and village elders were urged by the master of the Ceremony to describe one of the gunungan as a sacred symbol in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual; tobacco leaves. There was this type of tobacco leaf specifically used for ritual inauguration, namely a pair of tobacco trees symbolizing the activity. This statement can be seen in the following sentence.

• (1) Para kadang bapak saha ibu kapareng lumebet wonten sakjeroning petilasan sendang ritual Tungguk Tembakau.

Translation:

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s enter the river bed of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual.

• (2) Ingkang sepisan inggih menika wujudipun eron sotho ijo royo -royo Ian ageng, ingkang asalipun saking kilen. Meniko niki sampun dumugi panenipun sotho, kita sedanten sumonggo ngunjukaken puji syukur dhumateng gusti saha diparingi kasil ingkang sae lan berkah.

Translation:

The first form is the green and large tobacco leaves originating from the west that has reached their harvest season, so let’s thank God for the good results and blessings.

• (3) Kirab gunungan swanten Ian tembakao sampan kita tampi sak meniko sumangga dipun panggonaken meja ngajengan ingkang sampun dicawisaken.

Translation

We received the Kirab Gunungan Tembakau, then placed it at the front table that had been prepared.

Based on the excerpt of the sentence above, it was an imperative sentence containing an order for the speech partner. There were imperative sentences that were soft. Gentle imperatives were referred to as characteristic words, such as asking for help, asking to do something, offering something, and asking permission, etc., so that they seemed to order in a subtle and polite manner (Payanti et al., 2021). In the sentence excerpt above, we could see that the subtle imperative sentence markers were found in the vocabulary, let and please. Therefore, the form of the sentence did not seem harsh or forced.

In the content section, there was a joint prayer event led by religious leaders. The master of ceremonies asked the religious leaders to place themselves on the pulpit as the leaders of the joint prayer. There is an imperative sentence of the request contained in the main part or content of the program as follows.

• (1) Sedoyo pemuka agami sumonggo jumemeng saking kursi lajeng mimbar ingkang dipun cumawis, kangge dungo bebarengan lan dipandegani Pak Asnawi.

Translation:

Religious leaders, please stand up from your seats and head to the podium that has been provided to lead the prayer together.

Therefore, the imperative sentence of request functioned as a form of instruction to the interlocutor to ask to do something. The quote contained in the excerpt of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual was marked by the use of the word, sumangga, meaning please.

The next event was the closing part. Closing could be interpreted as the end of an event. The Tungguk Tembakau ritual ended with traditional performing arts.

Picture 4 shows the collaboration of the Tungguk Tobacco procession not only in community settings but also in the field of education, the participation of students in this tradition as an effort to introduce, learn about and preserve regional culture. In the context of Merapi and Merbabu mountainsides, there are traditions or cultural activities similar to the Tobacco Piling. By following the Tungguk Tobacco tradition, students can learn and understand the cultural values contained in the dance, such as respect for guests, cooperation between group members, and the beauty of dance movements inspired by the natural surroundings (Krahmadie et al., 2019). In addition, the participation of students in traditional dances such as in the Tungguk Tobacco ceremony can also help increase a sense of togetherness and solidarity among fellow students and strengthen their identity and pride in their regional culture. Overall, the student’s participation in the Tungguk Tobacco tradition procession in the welcome dance enriches students’ knowledge and experiences about local culture and fosters a sense of love and concern for their local culture. The linguistic elements contained at the end of the event were conveyed by the presenter. Here are excerpts that can be found.

• (1) Sumonggo kita midangetaken toto acari pamungkasanipun inggih meniko sendra tari minongko pamungkasing adicara dinten menika. Mugi ndandosno palipuran. Matur sembah nuwun kagem wekdal punika.

Picture 4. School of Javanese Culture students take part in an event to welcome the tobacco harvest season.

Source: The Jakarta Post.

Translation:

Let’s watch the last event, the performing arts, as the closing event. Hope it’s entertaining. Thank you for your time.

• (2) Mugi panjenengan sedanten tansah karaharjan, kawilujengan lan kasarasan dateng kita sedaya.

Translation:

May prosperity and health always be bestowed on all of us.

• (3) Mugi-mugi anggenipun ngawontenaken ritual punika saget ndadosno rumaket, ngraketaken sarta nglestarikaken paseduluran. Mugi kalebet warga ingkang migunani tumprap warga sekalian.

Translation

Hopefully, this ritual activity can strengthen, familiarize us, and maintain our kinship. Hopefully, we can be useful people to others.

The imperative sentence of hope had the goal of waiting for something. Sentences that were imperative in nature, consisting of expectations in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual tradition, could be found in sentences that use the word ‘mugi-mugi’ meaning hopefully.

Conclusion

Over Critical Discourse Analysis of a series of ritual events in tobacco harvesting ceremonies, it reveals that there is major discourse with interrelated sub-themes. Based on the analysis of the three events in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual, it could be concluded that the ceremony comprises series of events to be held using Javanese language. The main aim of the event is a celebration to thank God for the abundance of fertility in growing tobacco as the main occupation for the people on the slopes of Mount Merapi. The series of events were then arranged in various ceremonial activities that were more focused on hereditary traditions. The sub-themes included the gunungan tembakau the piled of tobacco and agricultural products, tumpeng rice as the symbolism of thankfulness to God, and traditional art performances that met the requirements of the TVD model analysis.

According to the analysis used, the sub-themes of the Tungguk Tembakau ritual produced several different forms of titles and meanings, which were used as themes in the Tungguk Tembakau ceremony. The selection was made so that people could easily understand and comprehend the series events to be carried out. The sub-themes in the superstructure showed that the three elements had complied with the standard rules: introduction, content, and closing. The main event analysis was reflected as interesting enough to raise people’s interest and curiosity to the ceremony. In more specific, the introduction worked effectively as an opening discourse to unveiling the entire program to the main event. Hence, the content showed an event that the community had been waiting for, while the closing was a form of entertainment. Moreover, the microstructure in ritual activities showed the presence of linguistic building used in the Tungguk Tembakau ritual. The linguistic elements consisted of declarative sentences and subtle by means of imperative sentences, requests, and expectations. In conclusion, Javanese language is not just a tool for local communication; it’s deeply intertwined with cultural identity and heritage that covers the value and significance of linguistic diversity as part of Indonesian culture.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ani Rakhmawati

Ani Rakhmawati is a senior lecturer at the Sebelas Maret University Surakarta, Indonesia. She achieved MA in Applied Linguistics from the University of Queensland and PhD in applied linguistics from the University of New England Australia. Her research interest includes discourse analysis, rhetorical studies, and Javanese language and cultural heritage. The research conducted was related to the Javanese tradition of tobacco harvesting ceremony in Boyolali, Central Java.

Fajar Nur Anisa

Fajar Annisa is a graduate student interested in research on Javanese traditions and culture. She lives in Boyolali where ritual tobacco harvest celebrations occur every year. She is also a young teacher who is working on a thesis related to discourse analysis of news and journalistic matter.

Muhammad Aditya Wisnu Wardana

Muhammad Aditya Wisnu Wardana is an undergraduate student of teacher training and education program. His is now working on research based on discourse analysis approach regarding campaign banners for 2024 Indonesian legislative candidates.