Do not be surprised if you visit West Kalimantan during the month of Safar (in a matter of Islamic years) and then find many groups of people eating together on the riverbank. Incidentally, West Kalimantan is also known as the province of “a thousand rivers”.
Dine full of intimacy during the day between before and after noon. The food menu served, of course, is typical of West Kalimantan, such as white chicken opor, shrimp lemongrass sauce, cucumber lettuce, spicy sour fish.
There are also various types of cakes typical of West Kalimantan, such as bingke, sangon, jorong, putuh reed and plantains. Currently, it has been added with a restraint menu.
Usually, before the start of the meal together, a prayer is recited asking for the blessings of Allah Subhanawata’ala. To be kept away from disasters, hardships and replaced with happiness and an abundance of sustenance.
After finishing eating, the prayer to Allah Subhanawata’ala is said again. It is still the same request so that West Kalimantan and its people are not given the burden of hardship.
Before the community returns to their respective homes, there is one more ritual that needs to be performed. That is, throwing some types of food into the river to be washed away by the current while praying to Allah Subhanawata’ala so that nature always benefits the people of West Kalimantan.
The ritual of reading these prayers, before and after eating together, by the people of West Kalimantan, is known as a congratulatory prayer.
Throwing away certain types of food so that it is carried away by the current is also marked as a meaning that the people of West Kalimantan want to always live in harmony with the river as their regional wealth.
For the people of West Kalimantan, the river is not only the pride of the province, but also as a source of income, aka the giver of sustenance.
All of these processions are traditional Robo Robo rituals. A culture of the Malay ethnic community in West Kalimantan which is held every Wednesday in the last week of the month of Safar.
The month of Safar for the Malay community is believed to be a time full of blessings, when there is another assumption that it is also said to usually bring disaster. So much so that both of these assumptions are very aptly felt to appeal to the Almighty to be protected from calamity and replaced with security.
For today’s growing era, the Robo Robo tradition is not only carried out by the Malay ethnic community in West Kalimantan who are Muslim. But now from other tribes in West Kalimantan have also participated in Robo Robo, even though with a non-Islamic religion.
The tradition of the Robo Robo ritual was initially only carried out by the Malay tribal community who lived around Kuala Mempawah, 67 kilometers from Pontianak City. Along with the dynamics of the times, the Robo Robo ritual is now almost carried out by all residents of West Kalimantan in various regions.
Robo Robo is not just the culture of the people of West Kalimantan. But Robo Robo also contains the essence of the historical heritage of the ancestors of the past.
It all started from history when Opu Daeng Manambon and Putri Kesumba came to Mempawah in 1148 Hijri or 1737 AD to receive the helm of the Bengkule Rajangk Kingdom. Opu Daeng Manambon and Putri Kesumba sailed with a group of 40 boats from Ketapang to Kuala Mempawah.
When Opu Daeng Manambon arrived in Kuala Mempawah, the whole community welcomed him. Even until colorful fabrics were installed in every house of the residents and some accompanied the group of Opu Daeng Manambon by canoe to the river bank.
Feeling happy with the welcome of the Kuala Mempawah community, finally Opu Daeng Manambon distributed all his food supplies to the residents. Opu Daeng Manambon went down to the river bank and then sounded the call to prayer and prayed to Allah Subhanawata’ala for safety.
Furthermore, the entire community of Kuala Mempawah who welcomed Daeng Opu Manambon and then ate with food was given by the river. Also eat with the group of ships that accompanied Daeng Opu Manambon.
Because the arrival of Opu Daeng Manambon and his entourage based on hijri calculations falls on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar, the people of West Kalimantan continue to commemorate this historical momentum until now with the Robo Robo tradition.
The Robo Robo tradition even in its development contributed to the introduction of the cultural potential of West Kalimantan and the regional economy. Every year, the Robo Robo Festival is commemorated every year, which displays a variety of rich rituals, even the leaders of the Asean region countries are present.