The Undhuh-undhuh Ritual Change of Gereja Kristen Jawi Wetan Congregation in Jember, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Society runs the religious activities as way of communicating with the magical things through their beliefs. Generally, ritual is a ceremonial system as a form of behavior and religion. All of the ceremonial systems are characteristically daily, seasonal, and occasioanal. This article tries to elaborate the ritual in Christianity with the local culture. There is a thanksgiving ritual for the harvest conducted by the GKJW (Greja Kristen Jawi Wetan or East Java Christian Church) in Jember, East Java, Indonesia, in every months of May and November. The formulation of the problem in this research is how the change of “undhuh-undhuh” ritual by GKJW congregation in Jember, and what factors causing the change in the rituals of the GKJW in Jember, East Java. The method used in this research is a qualitative approach. Data collection techniques are by observation, interview, and document study. Theories used in this research are Rite Theory and Deconstruction Theory. The results of this study indicate that there is a change in “undhuh-undhuh” ritual influenced by external and internal factors. They are changes in education, economy, technology, and media. Internal factors are changes in tradition, decreased level of congregational solidarity, and lack of cultural transmission