The Tradition of the Erau Ceremony of the Kutai Kartanegara Kingdom

Abstract

The Erau ceremony is one of the traditions carried out by the people of Kutai Kartanegara regarding the origins of the kingdom and its glory days as practitioners of past culture. The Erau ceremony tradition reflects the awareness that humans, as living creatures, have limitations in responding to and understanding the macrocosmic dimension. This happens because there are various conceptions that a tradition has essential meaning for society. Erau traditions can also be understood as values ​​dynamically passed on to the next generation. The procession begins with sacred activities by the royal party, for example, the Sultan's bepelas ceremony, the Menjamu Banua ceremony, the Merangin ceremony, the Besawai ceremony, the Tempong Tawar ceremony, the Brong lighting ceremony, the Circulation to Kutai ceremony, and the Dragon and Belimbur Stretching Ceremony. Erau is closely related to society's perspective on various things, both in the superstructure and infrastructure dimensions, while human relationships with each other are related to the social structure dimension. This is because the Kutai people during the Kutai Kartanegara kingdom were still heavily influenced by mystical thoughts. The world was not understood naturally but was very colored and filled with emotions and ideas about supernatural entities.