Meaning and Function of Sea Alms Ceremony for Coastal Communities Banyutowo Dukuhseti Pati

¹ Departement of Indonesian Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University

^* Corresponding author: lauraandrirm01@gmail.com

Abstract

Sea alms ceremony is a ritual activity carried out once a year by the Banyutowo community. Banyutowo is one of the villages located in Dukuhseti District, Pati Regency. This traditional ceremony is carried out every month in Sura in the Javanese calendar. The sea alms has been going on for a long time and has become a strong cultural attraction. Sea alms for the coastal community of Banyutowo is not only about cultural rituals, but as a means of obtaining safety and maintaining natural balance. Aiming to express gratitude for the sustenance given by God Almighty, through this ceremony the Banyutowo community also requested safety in carrying out their daily work as fishermen so as not to get any interference. In addition, the values contained in marine charity include religious, social, economic and educational values. This tradition is believed to be a local tradition that cannot be eliminated. The focus of the study in this study is the meaning contained in the sea alms ceremony and its function for the surrounding community. The implementation of the research was carried out by applying qualitative research methods, through observation, documentary and in-depth interviews with informants in Banyutowo. While the collected data was analyzed using descriptive, analysis and comparative methods. The results of this study are changes in the development of culture in sea alms rituals, both the process of carrying out rituals, meanings, and the function of the sea alms itself.