The Ritual of Thiam: Yogyakarta, Central Java

By Wombat | March 12th, 2006 | No Comments

One of the features of Chinese Week in Yogyakarta is the ritual ‘Thiam’ held before the performances of barongsai and the dragon dance as Sri Wahyuni tells.

‘Thiam’ purifies dance performance

Most people have heard of the Barongsai (lion dance) and the dragon dance. But thiam, the ritual held ahead of the performance of these two dances, is lesser known.

In fact, thiam, which literally means purification, is an inseparable part of the performance of the two dances, especially when they are performed for special events, such as the commemoration of a temple’s anniversary, religious rites and state ceremonies.

“Unless thiam has been performed, none of us dare to start the dragon or lion dance performance,” Tulus Subarjono of the Hoo Hap Hwee Liong Samsi Dance Group told The Jakarta Post recently.

Together with some 50 other performers and musicians, Tulus was waiting for the thiam ritual to be conducted at Hoo Hap Hwee headquarters on Jl. Bintaran, Yogyakarta. The group was invited to perform the dragon dance and lion dance that afternoon at the official opening ceremony of the Chinese Cultural Week held recently on Jl.

Ketandan, which Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X officially opened.

The group believe that only through the thiam ritual will the expected good spirits come to spiritually posses and take control over both the samsi (lion figures, there were two of them) and the dragon figure to be played in the dance.

“Thiam is basically a spirit-giving ritual for both the samsi and the dragon, so that when they are played in the dance, they look as if they are alive,” explained Tulus, adding that the ritual also warded off bad spirits.

For the same reason, all of the performers and musicians are required to follow a special diet called mutih for three consecutive days ahead of the performance, during which they are not allowed to eat meat, must avoid alcoholic drinks, and are encouraged to eat only vegetables.

“Doing so will enable us to make peace with not just ourselves but also with the environment and the community,” group leader Tan Ping Hay, or Tua Kho Harry as he respectfully called among members of the group, told The Post.

Tua Kho is the title given to the group leader. To start the thiam ritual, the Tua Kho seeks blessings from the ancestors’ spirits by performing what is termed the Sio Poe procession in which the Tua Kho drop two wood chips onto the ground. The performance starts only after the two wood chips land the same way up.
While the Tuoa Kho performs the Sio Poe procession, other group members make other preparations for the ritual, including slaughtering a white-feathered rooster and a black-feathered one for their blood. The blood is put in two small bowls and placed together with the other offerings.

Among the offerings are various kinds of fruits, a bowl of fried noodles, a branch of lemon tree leaves, a branch of banyan tree leaves and white wine. By this time, the scents of burning incense and jasmine fragrance are already dominating the ritual venue.

Once the Tua Kho feels it is right to start the ritual, he will start by bowing several times in front of the samsi and dragon figures.

He then selects one of the small bowls containing blood, pours white wine into it, stirs it with a finger, and puts it into his mouth. Using his mouth, he sprays the liquid on to the head and body of the dragon and the musical instruments. He does the same with the other bowl, but this time he sprays the blood and white wine mixture on to the heads and bodies of the two samsi along with the accompanying musical instruments.

Hu (pieces of papers with Chinese writing on it) are then attached to the heads of both the samsi and dragon figures and all the instruments, including an ugly-looking figure called jenggi and the group’s flags.

The Tua Kho then opens the black cloths that cover both the eyes of the samsi and the dragon, cuts loose the ropes that tie the tongues of both the figures, and switches on the red lamps inside the eyes of both the figures, making them look alive.

The procession ends with the beating of all the instruments. This also means that all the members of the group and all the instruments are completely ready for the afternoon performance. — Sri Wahyuni