0 Celebrating Maulid in Bubohu

High-pitched chants echoed at the mosque. It was just after dawn and hundreds of men and women were reciting verses known as dikili while sitting cross-legged. The ritual had begun the night before at the end of evening prayers. Dikili, derived from dzikir (memorizing or praising God), is part of Gorontalo’s Barjanji or hymn of praise. It comprises 13 Lato lo ayu (chapters) and is recited from evening till dawn at the mosque to commemorate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad on Rabiul-awal 12 in the Muslim calendar. 

Written in Malay-Arabic characters, the hymn recounts the exemplary life and glorious character of the Prophet, and is traditionally chanted in three languages: Arabic, Malay and Gorontalo. “Dikili is being recited by 300 people this time who come from various parts of Gorontalo,” said Arnani Hamzah, 52, committee chairman of the Maulid (Prophet’s birthday) observance, which this year was held on Jan. 26. The recent Maulid commemoration in Bubohu-Bongo was more cheerful than other parts of Gorontalo, with residents opening their homes to guests and enjoying family gatherings. 

The annual event was also crowded by thousands of visitors to the religious tourism site who thronged the coastal village. The main attraction was the procession of walima, bamboo containers resembling mosque domes adorned with diverse traditional snacks, notably kolombengi, a local sweet cake. After being paraded to the mosque in the morning, the cakes are then distributed to dikili chanters and visitors. Maulid and walima ceremonies are an inseparable part of the religious life of Bubohu-Bongo. “As a religious tourism village event, the celebration is prepared in such a way to make it livelier and attract more visitors,” said Wahyuni, 33, who organized art performances to spice up the occasion.

- Syam Terrajana
source : the jakarta post