The Royal Wedding

The old centuries ceremony which is actually the harmonic combination between Islamic and Hindu, influenced by the Javanese Royal Family culture, will be accompanied by the mystical sound of Javanese percussion orchestra or 'gamelan' reverberated throughout the sprawling ornate Yogyakarta Sultanate Palace, where the royal wedding was held last time.
Both the bride and the groom dressed in specially designed and made motif batik clothes, then a special traditional dance which was created by the late Sultan himself long time ago, also performed by nine female dancers from the royal family who is still virgin.
According to the wedding committee, at least two tons of various flowers primarily roses of different colors and jasmine utilized during the ceremony.
To allow the resident of Yogyakarta to witness this rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Royal Coupled , there was also a parade featuring horse carriages which was pulled by six horses, where the bride and the groom crowdaround surrounded the palace.

wedding

The Javanese Keris

The traditional pointed weapon of Javanese which always brought everywhere in the past times especially by Javanese nobel where it could also show the social status of the owner. This culture
predicted start in the VIth century, and then spread to allover Indonesia and surrounding countries included Malaya (now Malaysia), the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodge. The name and terminology of the keris itself was founded in Java in the year of 824, but the oldest keris was discovered in Magelang Regency, Central Java in the year of 500.
The length of the keris is ranging from 35 cm to 50 cm and also depending upon from where it was made. It is also consiidered as " a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity " by the UNESCO and this declaration was base upon not only the historical value but also the fact that the tradition of Javanese keris is actually a living culture, which is still exist until today, and have both special and unique status in the Javanese society.

Centre of handicraft

For wood carving, the centre is located about 30 km southeast of Yogya at Bubung, lies on a hilly area with fresh air, where almost the villagers are wood carvers who make masks, statues, and typical Yogya bridal statue, called 'Looro Blonyo'. They also offer a classical love story mask dance.
Bamboo handicrafts village is centered in Tietoadi, Sleman, it's about 8 km west of Yogyakarta, where visitors could get the products directly from the craftmen or perhaps you want to learn how to make it, they're reday and happy to teach you all.
Wrought iron makers center is located about 60 km east of Yogya, at Gorotan village. They produce old style lamp, ornamental iron works, garden furniture and other made ot order works.



Wicker work products are made in Moyudan, 12 km west of Yogya where visitors can learn how to amke a simple wicker. Whie glass painting arts can be found at Muntilan, whiich featured either Rmayana epic or Islamic themes. It's close to the Borobudur Temple.
Copper goods are produced in Cepogo village, Boyolali, about 60 km north of Yogya, just below the volcanic mountain of Merapi. They produce pots, pans, home accesories, lighting fixtures, sculptures etc. While terracota, pottery, and all about earthenwares are produced in both Bantul, about 10 km south of Yogya and Klaten county, about 30 km east of Yogya.
Gold and silver craft can be found mostly in Kotagede the southpart of Yogya, where you could get a lot of variety products of silver and gold while visiting the old city of Yogya villlages with its
specific architectures and life style.
Bon voyage !

Cultural Villages

These villages are located around the centrum of Yogya, i.e. the Sultan Palace, where each village has its own uniqueness to offer to visitors, like the architecture of the buildings, the daily life and activities of its people, such as farming, animal husbandry, and cultural activities , including traditional dancing performances and arts exhibitons.




Some ot them are, Tembi Village, located about 8 km south of Yogya, where visitors can stay in a home stay runs by villagers and enjoy traditional performances and art exhibitions.
Kebon Agung Village, it is located 17 km southeast of Bantul Regency, where visitors can observe farmers' daily activities like cultivation and animal farming, they also offer traditional performance and food festival as well.



Sleman Regency has Tanjung Village, located 10 km north of Yogya, where visitors can enjoy the Javanese hospitality while feeling the sense of living in a village inside the 200 year old traditional Javanese home. You might learn how to do rice farming or duck shepherding as well.

The River of Code

Unlike The Thames in London, The Seine in Paris and The Tibre in Rome, the Code river is not just a river which cuts through the city, it is actually a home, a community of the poor, who have nowhere to live and stay in a formal living spaces. Most of them are migrant workers, included an ex criminals, buskers, pickpockets, pedicab drivers, even prostitutes, and perhaps many more unusual positions, you just name it.
It also become a centre of activities and life as well where despite of the dark grey-brown with buoyed rubbish, they use the water of the river to bath and wash the cloth. Miraculously, they're well so far, thanks God ! (probably not yet get the disease, who knows ?).
This community also contains some small scale industries, like tofu home industry, and herbal traditional medicine makers. All of them exist here, people who escape from social expectations and mostly have unconventional jobs.
Everything has its own good and bad side, and the Code river might be the ugly side of the city of Yogya, where you won't go fishing here, will you ?

Cave exploring

Here in Yogya and surrounding areas in Java, caves means magical and mystical as well, where many of them have been used for religious purposes for centuries, and still continue then.
For those who would like to explore, Yogya offers caves accessible to all of you which have a variety
purposes. Beside for recreational adventures and ecological as well geological, historical and scientific data, caves play an important role and both cultural and social heritage.
In a hilly areas of Menoreh, about 9 km northeast of Borobudur Temple, there is a famous cave named Sendang Sono , it's a sacred cave for Catholics where you may find a statue of Virgin Mary in the hillside. To be there, you have to go through a narrow trail as the "Crucifixion Path", to reach the Holly Spring, where water is taken to the Virgin Mary to be blessed. It's believed that the water can heale diseases, purify soul, and bring peaces to all people.

At Dieng plateau, beside the eight Hindhu Temple from 8th century, it might be the oldest in Java, surrounded by boiling mud volcanoes, colored lakes, sulphur outlets and undergrounds channels, there are at least three caves, i.e. Semar Cave, Sumur Cave, and Jaran Cave. Inscriptions dating to 1210AD have been found here.
About 35 km south of Yogya, located in a densed hills of Menoreh there're at least two caves, believed to be the Royal food storage and also a battlefield as told in the Ramayana Epic, which can only be reached by crawling. Sumitro Cave known as the place where the Mahabharata hero medication place, where a lot of people who still believe the magical power of the caves do meditation to gain for fame and fortune.
Selarong Cave located in Bantul Regency, 13 km south of Yogya, which was used for guerilla warfare zone by one of the National Hero of Indonesia, Prince Diponegoro (1825-1830) during the fight against the Dutch colonial government.



In most all caves you will find faunas which are different, like bats, swallows, which produce nests favored by Chinese to be an expensive gourmet soup.
Whoever are exploring caves and regardless of the reasons, they should be careful not to damage cave walls and fragile formations, which take centuries to build. The ecology and the life population should not be disturbed.
Please appreciate and preserve them for many purposes, since they preserve many values of hidden worlds.