Javanese Head-Cover (Blangkon)
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Source: kratonjogja.id |
Do you know the hat that is often worn by people in the area of the island of Java with a batik motif and a little bump on the back and is usually worn by men? yep that's right, Blangkon.
This time the author will provide some information about Blangkon from several sources and according to the author's knowledge, of course 😁.
1. Javanese Men's Head Coverings
What is Blangkon? According to a source, Blangkon is a headgear made of batik and used by men as part of traditional Javanese clothing.
The term Blangkon comes from the word Blangko, a term used by the Javanese people to say something that is ready to use. Previously, Blangkon was not round and ready to use, but just like other headbands, it went through a fairly complicated binding process. Over time, innovations were created to make ready-to-wear headbands which were later dubbed as Blangkon
According to its shape, Blangkon is divided into 4:
1. Blangkon Ngayogyakarta
2. Surakarta Blangkon
3. Blangkon Kedu
4. Blangkon Banyumasan
For some types of Blangkon, there are those who use a protrusion on the back of the Blangkon, this protrusion indicates the hairstyle of men at that time who often tied their long hair with tight curls so that it didn't easily come off on the back of the head so that the part that stuck out in the back of the blangkon was called Mondholan .
Javanese men in ancient times let their hair loose only when they were at home or in a conflict, such as war or fighting. Opening the ends of the cloth ties behind the head (or opening the headgear) which results in loose hair is the last form of unstoppable emotional outburst, therefore Iket or Blangkon is a manifestation of self-control.
Blangkon is actually a practical form of Iket which is a headgear made of batik and worn by men as part of traditional Javanese clothing. Iket is made of Iket or Udeng cloth in the shape of a square, measuring approximately 105 cm x 105 cm, then the fabric is folded in half into a triangle and then wrapped around the head and formed.
However, now the long hair that has become Mondholan has been modified because most men now have short hair, therefore Mondholan is sewn directly on the back of the Blangkon. The Mondholan in Blangkon Surakarta is flat (trèpès or gepeng), while the Blangkon Yogyakarta mondholan is round like an Onde-onde cake.
According to Cisara (2018), who conducted research on Blangkon Java, said that Blangkon has a meaning where the beautiful shape and pattern of Blangkon can show the dignity of a man, while that authority will affect the user's behavior in accordance with ethics in society.
Apart from being a head covering, Blangkon also has a social function that shows dignity or social position for its owner. Most Javanese people make Blangkon as a symbol or characteristic and it is said that it was used to differentiate between the Keraton (Palace) nobility and the commoners who only wore Iket as a head covering.
The Javanese people also think that the male head has an important meaning, so that the male head protector is a very priority, so that the ancient Javanese people used Blangkon as their daily clothes and it can be said that clothing is mandatory (Soegeng Toekio, 1980/1981: 27).
2. History of Blangkon
There is no definite historical record of the origins of the Javanese wearing Iket as a head covering. Iket has been mentioned in the legend of Aji Saka, the creator of the Saka year or Javanese year, about 20 centuries ago where Aji Saka succeeded in defeating Dewata Cengkar just by laying out a cloth that covered the entire land of Java.
In addition, there are stories that Iket is the influence of Hindu and Islamic culture. Traders from Gujarat who were of Arab descent always wore Turban, a long cloth wrapped around the head, which inspired the Javanese to wear headbands like them. Another story says, at one time due to war, cloth became an item that was difficult to find, so the court officials asked the artist to create a more efficient headband, namely Blangkon.
It turns out that Blangkon also has another interesting historical story during the Dutch colonial period. After the signing of the Giyanti agreement (1755) the Mataram Sultanate was divided into two, namely Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Communities in these two regions then grew in their own ways. One of them is that the Jogya man still has long hair and curls his hair, while the Surakarta man, because he is closer to the Dutch, is first familiar with how to shave. Although later people began to have a lot of short hair and use Blangkon (no longer Iket), for a distinction a Mondholan was made which was sewn directly into Blangkon from Jogya. That's why Blangkon and Mondholan can be found in Jogya, while flat ones (trepes) are found in Surakarta.
However, one source said that the difference between Blangkon Yogyakarta and Surakarta sometimes becomes a joke among the Javanese community itself, the reason for Mondolan's absence in Blangkon Surakarta is because when the Jogja people who are going to visit Surakarta then board the Prameks train fall asleep. It was while sleeping that the Mondholan Blangkon who was wearing disappeared because he was crushed by the head that leaned back while sleeping on the train.
3. The secret behind Blangkon
When Islam came to Java, Blangkon was associated with transcendental values. On the back of the Blangkon there must be 2 ends of the cloth tied together, one end of the cloth is a symbol of the Shahada Tauhid and the other end is the Shahada of the Prophet and bound together means to become Syahadatain. Once tied, it is worn on the head, where for the Javanese it is the honorable part, meaning that the creed must be placed at the top. Any thoughts that come out of the head must be covered by the pillars of Islam.
Likewise, the folds covering the head totaling 17 folds indicate 17 cycles in the five daily prayers. Mondholan is placed on the back of the head with the meaning of preventing humans from sleeping and closing their eyes.
The position of Mondholan is also tried to be in the middle and straight upward, that is, it is straight towards the creator. So, if the thread of meaning is pulled, Mondholan is a reminder that humans do not close their eyes to Allah and always carry out His commands straight. Not only that, if the remaining cloth is counted as 6, it means 6 pillars of faith in Islam.
4. Closing
If you are on vacation in Yogyakarta, Blangkon is very easy to find, especially the Malioboro street area as a souvenir center, you can also see it directly when you are visiting the Yogyakarta Palace where the Abdi Dalem wears their official clothes, namely Pranakan clothes and Blangkon is one of the mandatory accessories that must be worn as a head-cover
Source:
Pranakan, Busana Abdi Dalem Jaler
Dua Kisah Filosofis Penyebab Perbedaan Blangkon Jogja dan Solo
Cisara, Anugrah (2018). Blangkon dan Kaum Pria Jawa
Toekio, Soegeng. 1980/1981. Tutup Kepala Tradisional Jawa. Jakarta: Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. 170 halaman.
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