COVID-19 Pandemic, Javanese Rituals, and Social Solidarity

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been going on for more than a year in Indonesia. The Indonesian government has been struggling to manage this Pandemic in various ways by implementing health protocols, Large-Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB), and vaccinations. This article discusses the efforts made by the Javanese people in coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic by using literature study methods and observations of the realities that occurred during the Pandemic in Semarang. The discussion focused on cultural practices carried out by Semarang society to overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic, such as the ritual of repelling logs, social care for affected communities, and cooperation in providing personal protective equipment for health workers. Based on this reality, it can be stated that socio-cultural capital is used to cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Tradisi Tolak Balak Pandemi Corona Di Desa Pojok Kabupaten Blitar

“…Sikap hidup itu sendiri untuk orang orang Jawa, memiliki intensitas dan karakter yang sangat mencolok dengan dasar yang berlandas dari wejangan nenek moyang sampai turuntemurun, sikap hormat antar sesama serta berbagai perlambangan dalam ungkapan Jawa. Menjadi jiwa seni dan budaya Jawa termasuk dalam menangani wabah atau pageblug, masyarakat Jawa melakukan tradisi yang dianggap dapat membuat wabah ini menghilang (Puguh, Amaruli, & Utama, 2021).…”

“…Serangan wabah Covid-19 secara global terhadap masyarakat dunia saat ini menyebabkan keseimbangan hidup manusia terganggu. Keadaan ini menyebabkan terjadinya ketidakpastian kepada manusia termasuk masyarakat Jawa Wabah Covid-19 menyebabkan masyarakat Jawa kembali kepada ilmu Kejawen sehingga mereka eling kepada sang pencipta bahwa wabah penyakit terjadi atas kehendak-Nya dan ingat serta mematuhi arahan dari pemerintah bagi mencegah merebaknya jangkitan wabah Covid-19 (Puguh et al, 2021). Sekiranya mereka harus terkena jangkitan wabah, mereka akan pasrah atau nrimo apapun yang terjadi, dan menerima penyakit tersebut dengan sabar dan rila serta selalu berfikir sebagai "ujian" sang pencipta.…”

Transformation of Socio-cultural Behavior of Javanese People: Recovery Efforts After the Covid 19 Pandemic

“…Cultural transformation is the concept of changing the form of community culture to a new cultural concept to the developments that occur in society (Tarasov, 2016) [3]. Sukmana (2019) [4] and Puguh et al (2021) [5] mentioned cultural transformation as a factor that contributes to the formation of culture starting from habits, mindsets, and environmental conditions. According to him, culture is the starting point for socio-cultural interaction in society, because it comes from the habits of the mindset and daily behavior of the community which is influenced by the development of knowledge and information.…”