Bejang

In Culture Festival of Matswapati there are many shows of the culture of West Java. Some culture shows are Jaipong, Angklung, Calung, Bejang, Kuda Lumping, Sundanese Musics, and many other. One of the Culture I want to tell you is Bejang from Bandung.

Bejang is an original culture from Indonesia. That culture is created in Bandung, West Java. In particulary it comes and developed in Ujung Berung, East Bandung about 34 (thirty four) years ago. It means, that Bejang has been existed since 1980. Bejang is a sport culture, it seems like boxing and wrestle but it has special and unique differences. Bejang is the only one which has something must be done before fighting. In fighting there is two ones minimal for fighting, but only two participants who can be duel. Fighting in Bejang needs someone to be a referee. The referee must be known all of about Bejang. Bejang is just for men, women is prohibited to join Bejang fighting.

Exactly, that the participants of Bejang have to be praying before duel. After that, somepeople behind fighting arena will play music to accompeny Bajang fighting. After the traditional music has played behind arena, the one who is ready to fight will enter the fighting arena and doing “ngibing”. Ngibing is a sundanese word and it means dancing. There’s no special dance in ngibing. The participant just has to do ngarengkenek or in English it means anymovement. The dance is not temporal and don’t need to follow the rhythm of music. We can free our movement in Bejang dancing. The one who’s brave enough to fight with the one in arena will be dancing too and enter the arena slowly. He will get his forefinger up during dancing. They will be dancing together untill the referee diects them to begin fighting.

There are two types of fighting arena of Bejang. The first arena is traditional arena which consist mood and straw. The second arena is a large thick matrass. The winner in  fighting of Bejang is the one who’s faster to turn the opponent down till his back touch the ground. One way to turn the opponent untill falling down is crossing our leg (Just one our own leg. The another leg is protecting our position) to the legs of the opponent. Bejang is different with boxing or wrestle which has three minutes in every rounds. Fighting in Bejang has no duration. The fighting is finished when the winner has defeated another one. After that the winner will be waiting for another challanger or change the fight to the new participants.

Bejang is not only developed in Bandung or West Java, but almost all of provinces in Indonesia (especially for provinces in Java Island, Sumatera Island, and Bali Island) have Bejang Community. The music which accompeny Bejang fighting is followed the culture in every provinces. Bejang becomes an extracurricular of Some Senior High School in Bandung such as SMAN 25 Bandung and SMAN 20 Bandung. Some Bejang atlets from England, Japan, and Korea always visit SMAN 25 Bandung to learn Bejang. Bejang has been a part of national sport in Indonesia even in the world. Bejang has been exist Thailand and  Bejang is resemble with Jurkane from Iran. Jurkane is a kind Bejang from Iran. On December 2015, there will be a National Bejang Contest in Denpasar, Bali. In year 2016 there will be a world Bejang Contest in Jakarta. So, we have to be proud to our culture and we have to keep our culture.

The participant from SMAN 3 Bandung is dancing together before fighting.

The participant from SMAN 3 Bandung is trying a fight in Bejang. Unfortunately, the matrass is not thick enough for Bejang fight. The referee in that fight is a national Bejang referee.

The one who wears black clothes challanges the one who wears red clothes. They dancing together befpre fighting.

The one who wears white pants is the loser. The one who wears black pants is the winner. We can see the people who’s playing musics. They are wearing red clothes.

In Matswapati Festival, I met with a student from SMAN 2 Bandung. Her name is Intan Nurlinawaty. I give her some questions about Matswapati Festival. We were watching some culture shows together. During watching the show, I asked her about Matswapati. She said that the weather is so hot. The show is so comfortable (console her self). She was very happy when she wathced a present from T’sT 3. She said the decoration is so nice and creative but the foods and the drinks are very expensive. I conclude that the festival is good enough to be watched by her and she agree with me.

 Intan Nurlinawaty from SMAN 2 Bandung is the one who wears glasses. The one beside Intan is Yasmin from SMAN 3 Bandung. Intan and Yasmin are my friends from Junior High School. I captured them when we were watching for T’sT present. The present of T’sT consoles us, made us loughing, and so sweet.