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Traditions of Yogyakarta

A Javanese royal city where the sultan's court keeps gamelan, batik and shadow puppets alive.

Yogyakarta, or Jogja, is the cultural centre of Java and the only Indonesian province still ruled by a sultan. The court of the kraton keeps traditions of gamelan music, court dance and batik. Temples such as Borobudur and Prambanan are nearby, and the city is also known for its student life and cheap, tasty food.

Yogyakarta: Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Tugu Yogyakarta.
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The sultan's court

Sekaten, a festival before the Prophet's birthday, brings gamelan sets out of the palace for a week and ends with a procession of rice mountains, gunungan, which crowds rush to touch for luck. Wayang kulit, shadow puppetry with leather figures, runs through an entire night and tells tales from the Mahabharata.

At the table

Gudeg, young jackfruit stewed for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar, is the signature dish, eaten with rice and chicken. Wedang ronde is a ginger drink with rice balls, and bakpia are small sweet pastries. Street stalls in the evening, called angkringan, serve small rice parcels and tea.

Signature traditions of Yogyakarta

SekatenThe festival at the sultan's court.WayangThe shadow puppet theatre of Java.BatikThe wax-resist cloth of Indonesia.

Also part of it, and being written: Gamelan (The percussion orchestra of Java and Bali.), Gudeg (The jackfruit dish of Yogyakarta.).

A trail idea for Yogyakarta

  1. Kraton of Yogyakarta Visit the palace and watch a morning gamelan rehearsal.
  2. Malioboro Street Browse for batik and eat at night stalls.
  3. Prambanan Temple See the tall Hindu towers at sunset.
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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