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The
Culture
Yogyakarta
lies in the southern part of Central Java, the heartland of
Javanese culture. As the site of the capital of several kingdoms,
...
We
know from historical records that civilization, art and culture
developed in the centers of those kingdoms, from the era of
ancient Mataram (8th-10th centuries),
and the Ngayogyakarta Sultanate from the mid-18th century up to the present.
The
culture heritage of the past includes the magnificent temples,
the ruins of palaces and monasteries and traditional cultural
events, customs, arts, handicrafts and architecture. Many
of these still exist and color the daily life of the Javanese
community.
Because
of its wealth of culture, Yogyakarta is known as a cradle
of Javanese culture: even today the Kraton (Sultan’s palace)
is a center for Javanese arts and cultural activities.
The
name of the Sultan holds a special significance for all Yogyanese,
evoking the traditional Javanese aristocracy. The Javanese
are proud of the influence of the court, which still holds
many traditional events ceremonies such as Sekaten, Grebegan
and Labuhan.
Many
traditional performances can be found in the daily program
of cultural presentations, such as the Ramayana Ballet, Javanese
classical dance, the wayang kulit (shadow puppet show), the
Ketoprak (folk drama) and others, but no less interesting
are the old traditional rites and esoteric customs kept alive
by villagers.
In
modern art, Yogyakarta also arts and crafts-both state and
private-are available here, such as the Indonesia Institute
of the Arts, the Conservatory of Classical Javanese Music
and dance, art foundations, dance schools and so on.
The
wealth and variety that this city has in store is one of many
aspects that makes Yogyakarta a city of endless wonder and
fascination.
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