MITONI/7th month of pregnancy..(Java Tradition)

In Java tradition, mitoni is life cycle chain that until now it is still held by Javanese. Mitoni word comes from ‘am’ (prefix that indicates verb) + ‘7’ (pitu) that means activity held on count seventh. Mitoni ceremony is custom and tradition that held on 7th month the first pregnancy in order to embryo in womb and mother always obtain safety.

Ceremonies that held in pregnancy time such as ceremony of bathing a bride prior wedding, enter egg into bride cloth by husband, change of cloth, enter young coconut, cutting thread/young coconut leaf, Brojolan ceremony, drink guest, and nyolong endhog , essentially change ceremony that believed as infrastructure to avoid dangerous, namely initiation which it is old tradition. In addition to there is primordial solidarity aspect especially general custom from generation to other generation preserved by social community. Ignore custom will cause critical and bad name for family that concerned with social community.

Mitoni can be held sometimes, usually it selects good day to perform mitoni ceremony. Good day for mitoni ceremony is Tuesday (Monday until night) or Saturday (Friday until night) and held in daytime or afternoon. While place to perform this tradition usually selected in front location that called pasren namely senthong tengah. It is relevant with peasant group as place to worship goddess of rice crop. Because most of people have not senthong, then mitoni ceremony usually held at living room or a place that has large capacity to perform ceremony.

Technically, this ceremony is held by shaman or family member that argued as oldest. Presence of shaman in this ceremony more ceremonial in the sense prepares and performs pregnancy ceremonies.
While the ceremony that held on mitoni tradition as follow as:
1.Ceremony of bathing a bride prior wedding is ceremony symbol as sign to purify self, both physical and soul. It is symbolic has objective to clean bride from sin so that future she bear with safety and health. Ceremony of bathing a bride prior wedding in bath room and guided by shaman or family member that argued as oldest.

2.Enter egg into bride cloth by husband through stomach then it fall down so that broken. This ceremony is held at Ceremony of bathing a bride prior wedding place in order to baby born health without difficult.

3.Brojolan ceremony or enter pair of young coconut that decorated with Kamajaya and Dewi Ratih or Arjuna and Sembadra into sarong from up to under. Meaning of symbolic from this ceremony is future baby born with success without difficulty.
Brojolan ceremony is held in front of senthong tengah or pasren by grandmother (mother from pregnant mother) and received by mother-in-law. Both young coconuts is laid on the bed like sleeping baby.
Symbolically Kamajaya drawing and Dewi Ratih or Arjuna and Sambadra symbolizes if the baby born will be beautiful and has good character like illustrated figure. Kamajaya and Dewi Ratih or Arjuna and Sembrada are ideal figure for Javanese.

4.Change of cloth ceremony is held with fabric as much as 7 (seven) kinds and different motif. It and belt will be best alternative in order to future the baby also has merits as reflected in such fabric.
Cloth motif as follow as: 1. sidomukti (symbolize happiness), sidoluhur (symbolize majestic), 3. truntum (symbolize in order to merits value always hold), 4. parangkusuma (symbolize struggle to live), 5. semen rama (symbolize in order to both parents can maintain forever/cannot be separated), 6. udan riris (symbolize optimistic in order to emerge in community can self-support. The last cloth that most suitable from lasem motif and belt motif. This ceremony is held at senthong tengah.

5.Cutting thread/young coconut leaf that circled on her stomach. Young coconut leaf is changed with coconut leaf. It must be cut by father in order to baby born success.
6.Ceremony break caldron and scoop that made from piece of coconut shell. It is aimed to express (pray and safety) future she easy bear her baby without difficulty.

7.Sorongan drink tradition symbolizes child in womb can easy born like pulling.

8.Nyolong endhog ceremony symbolizes baby smooth and success is born. This ceremony is held by father with take egg and carries it running quickly while cycling village.

With performing all ceremonies at mentioned above, then mitony ceremony can be said over and finally shaman lead pray with cycling ceremonial meal. It or presentation partly taken goes home by audience to enliven the ceremony.

Symbol or meaning that exist in mitony ceremony element

Mitoni ceremony is the ceremony that held when pregnancy achieves seventh months, contains symbols and meaning or sign that can be interpreted as follow as:

•Presentation contains meaning as worship to ancestor that leaves us. They resided high place, like mountain.
•Sajen jenang abang, jenang putih symbolizes seed from man and woman that combined in form of baby.
•Presentation such as sega gudangan, contains meaning in order to baby is always freshness.
•Cengkir gading (young coconut that has yellow color) that given by Kamajaya and Dewi Ratih has meaning in order to baby future born as boy and has high character like Kamajaya. By contrast, they hope beautiful like Dewi Ratih.
•Lawe thread or young coconou that called also young coconut leaf must be cut.
•Motif sevent motif symbolizes merit of mother that contains seven months.
•Sajen dhawet has meaning in order to baby further can be born easy.
•Presentation such as egg then broken contains meaning like prediction, that if it broken then baby was born a girl, by contrast not broken then baby was born boy.