MIDANG (Part 1)
Citizen News 
"Midang" is a tradition to visit someone or stay in touch in a broad sense. "Midang" is not only a visit between young people, but can also include relations between residents in an atmosphere of intimacy with all groups. Midang is a very good time to get to know young people from different hamlets or villages.
In a very simple sense, midang is a event between young men and women to seek matchmaking. So midang is an approach process carried out by terune (youth) by coming to the house of unmarried dedare (youth) to get to know each other.
Quoting the opinion of the dialogue with the resource person I met, namely H. Moh. Khalil, a community member in Jonggat District, Central Lombok, said that “midang” was one of the most precious moments for a terune and dedare to get to know each other in depth about their shared feelings, views, shared vision and mission in their future life. Midang is often equated with meaning when visiting a girlfriend (wakuncar), or ngapel (the term by H. Moh. Khalil when he was young).
A terune in general will prepare himself before leaving for a midang dedare"s house in order to appear more memorable in front of the dedare he visits. The visited Dedare (if he likes to be visited) will accept the presence of the terune (nemin) and accompany him to talk, exchange ideas on the terrace of the house or front porch. The distance between the two of them is certainly quite far. Midang is generally held at night, between 20.00 – 22.00 WITA.
To complement himself, Terune who visited Dedare"s house (which he may not have known), then the science of compassion or senggeger (Spell) became a common thing he installed. The purpose of mastering this knowledge is not only to gain sympathy from the visited dedare, but also to soften the hearts of Dedare"s parents, as well as youths from other villages who may become his rivals.
“Time ago, when I visited one of the elders, I was embarrassed to speak the truth openly. It"s not like young people today,” said Pak H. Moh. Khalil. Finally the terune expressed his intentions and his heart with words that resembled a rhyme. This is done, of course, to maintain mutual feelings between the two. Poem for rhyme, figuratively for figurative.
A terune if he wants to go to midang to his idol"s dedare"s house, he must dress neatly and politely, maintain good manners in speaking, express excuses (by saying tabek, or tabe walar, or alan, it really depends on the dialect used) while bowing slightly with right hand straight down, and left hand pressed against the body or slightly bent near the chest. Saying this excuse is also required when passing through a house or village that is side by side with the road he is passing. As for a dedare when a nemin (accompanies the midang terune) of course he will greet and answer questions politely, should not sit on the same mat as the terune, will not stare at each other for too long, will remind the guest of the terune to go home because it is late, around 22.00 with a polite word too. This is the midang tradition of the Lombok Sasak tribe that may not be enjoyed by the millennial generation or the current generation.
This tradition is still very close to the Sasak people of Lombok, because the midang is part of the beginning of a procession leading to the traditional Sasak wedding (merariq). Midang is one of the traditions that are still maintained by the Sasak people in certain areas from generation to generation.
“In Central Lombok, especially in our village in Perina (back in the 1980s) during the begawe Bukur, or Begawe Merariq, there were a series of activities leading up to the climax of the event. At that time there was a rice bisoq (rice washing) activity, a joint rice cooking activity (beredang/beredang). At that time (I still remember) it was also used by the terune to approach the dedare who became his idol. ... (to be continued)
In a very simple sense, midang is a event between young men and women to seek matchmaking. So midang is an approach process carried out by terune (youth) by coming to the house of unmarried dedare (youth) to get to know each other.
Quoting the opinion of the dialogue with the resource person I met, namely H. Moh. Khalil, a community member in Jonggat District, Central Lombok, said that “midang” was one of the most precious moments for a terune and dedare to get to know each other in depth about their shared feelings, views, shared vision and mission in their future life. Midang is often equated with meaning when visiting a girlfriend (wakuncar), or ngapel (the term by H. Moh. Khalil when he was young).
A terune in general will prepare himself before leaving for a midang dedare"s house in order to appear more memorable in front of the dedare he visits. The visited Dedare (if he likes to be visited) will accept the presence of the terune (nemin) and accompany him to talk, exchange ideas on the terrace of the house or front porch. The distance between the two of them is certainly quite far. Midang is generally held at night, between 20.00 – 22.00 WITA.
To complement himself, Terune who visited Dedare"s house (which he may not have known), then the science of compassion or senggeger (Spell) became a common thing he installed. The purpose of mastering this knowledge is not only to gain sympathy from the visited dedare, but also to soften the hearts of Dedare"s parents, as well as youths from other villages who may become his rivals.
“Time ago, when I visited one of the elders, I was embarrassed to speak the truth openly. It"s not like young people today,” said Pak H. Moh. Khalil. Finally the terune expressed his intentions and his heart with words that resembled a rhyme. This is done, of course, to maintain mutual feelings between the two. Poem for rhyme, figuratively for figurative.
A terune if he wants to go to midang to his idol"s dedare"s house, he must dress neatly and politely, maintain good manners in speaking, express excuses (by saying tabek, or tabe walar, or alan, it really depends on the dialect used) while bowing slightly with right hand straight down, and left hand pressed against the body or slightly bent near the chest. Saying this excuse is also required when passing through a house or village that is side by side with the road he is passing. As for a dedare when a nemin (accompanies the midang terune) of course he will greet and answer questions politely, should not sit on the same mat as the terune, will not stare at each other for too long, will remind the guest of the terune to go home because it is late, around 22.00 with a polite word too. This is the midang tradition of the Lombok Sasak tribe that may not be enjoyed by the millennial generation or the current generation.
This tradition is still very close to the Sasak people of Lombok, because the midang is part of the beginning of a procession leading to the traditional Sasak wedding (merariq). Midang is one of the traditions that are still maintained by the Sasak people in certain areas from generation to generation.
“In Central Lombok, especially in our village in Perina (back in the 1980s) during the begawe Bukur, or Begawe Merariq, there were a series of activities leading up to the climax of the event. At that time there was a rice bisoq (rice washing) activity, a joint rice cooking activity (beredang/beredang). At that time (I still remember) it was also used by the terune to approach the dedare who became his idol. ... (to be continued)
