Jelangkung: a Dangerous Game in Indonesia
One may call it a game; others may call it a ritual. One thing that we can agree on is that Jelangkung risks life. Jelangkung originally came from ancient Chinese tradition, which at that time, they called Cay Lang Gong. Cay Lang Gong was regarded as a ritual to reach God in thinking that it can answer their questions. Ever since the arrival of the Chinese in this nation, many Indonesian began to Cay Lang Gong and name it into what we know as Jelangkung.
Unlike Cay Lang Gong, Jelangkung was meant to call any spiritual being except God to answer its conjuror’s questions. Before the Jelangkung that we know existed, there were two versions of it. Firstly, there is the Java version, we call it Nini Thowong or Nini Thowok. The goal of Nini Thowong is to keep the well-being of a village and it is usually being played by adults. While the other one is the Minangkabau version, “Lukah Gilo”. Lukah Gilo is the term that the Minangkabau people use. This game was played as a night performance in a wedding ceremony. The performance was played by one shaman and one until four players were assigned to hold the “lukah” which is a tool to catch a fish. Once the performance continued, the players also danced madder. The audience would shout really loud to keep the place sounds crowded. Lukah Gilo ended when the shaman finished their chanting or when someone attached ijok, Ijok has a round shape that is being placed on top of the lukah.
In order to play Jelangkung, you need to have the doll first. The doll consists of a coconut shell, wood for the body, and a cloth for its outfit. After that, you need to say this line:
“Jelangkung jelangsat, di sini ada pesta, pesta kecil-kecilan, jelangkung jelangsat, datang tidak diundang, pergi tidak diantar.”
People often chant the line in Indonesian, but some say that if you want to make the game more successful, you need to enchant it in Javanese, which is written below:
To perform this ritual you need to be in the middle of a graveyard because people believe that it is the place where spirits gather. You also need to provide some Indonesian street food like gorengan, bitter or sweet black coffee & tea, two glasses of water, flowers for ritual (usually hibiscus flower). Not only that, but you also need to attach a pen to the doll’s hand so it can write your questions on the paper.
This is a dangerous game where the player’s life is at stake. There are many things that can happen when someone plays this game, starting from getting possessed, haunted by a ghost, dragged into the other world, involved in spiritual problems, and even losing a life. People who don’t have good mental condition will possibly end up in an asylum. There is a case where approximately a hundred students got possessed after playing Jelangkung. Fortunately, no life was taken.
When you want to end the game, you also need to end it properly so there won’t be any spiritual beings following you and live in your home. After reading this article, are you brave enough to play Jelangkung? Tell me in the comment below!
Editor: Handiko Wijaya & Pieter Bagaskara Astadiningrat
