Tabot

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Tabot is a traditional ceremony Bengkulu society to commemorate the story of heroism and death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib in a battle with Zaid bin Ubaidillah troops in the field of Karbala, Iraq on 10 Muharam 61 Hijri (681 AD). Celebrations in Bengkulu was first implemented by Sheikh Burhanuddin Senggolo known as Imam in 1685. Sheikh Burhanuddin (Imam Senggolo) Married women Bengkulu then their children, their grandchildren and their descendants called Tabot family. ceremony was conducted from 1 to 10 Muharram (Islamic calendar is based) every year.

Meaning Tabot

Initially the core of the ceremony is to commemorate the efforts Tabot Shiite leaders and their people collect body parts Hussein, parading and memakamnya in Padang Karbala. Tabot The term comes from the Arabic word which literally means the Ark "wooden box" or "crate".
In the Koran the word Tabot known as a chest containing the Torah. Children of Israel at the time believed that they would get good if this appears Tabot and is in the hands of their leaders. Instead they will get a disaster when it was lost.

Sign in to Bengkulu

There are no written records from the ceremony when Tabot becoming known in Bengkulu. However, tradition is strongly suspected that depart from the ritual mourning followers of Shi'ism was brought by the masons who built the Fort Marlborought (1718-1719) in Bengkulu. The builder is, imported by the British of Madras and Bengal in southern India which happens to be the adherents of Shia Islam.

Workers who feel comfortable with the community tatahidup Bengkulu, led by Imam Senggolo alias Sheikh Burhanuddin, decided to stay and establish a new settlement called File, now known as the Central Village Padang. Tradition brought from Madras and Bengal bequeathed to their descendants who have been assimilated with the indigenous communities Bengkulu and produce offspring, known as the people Sipai.

Mourning traditions brought from their home country has experienced assimilation and acculturation with the local culture, and then inherited and institutionalized into what became known as Tabot ceremony. Tabot ceremony is increasingly extends from Bengkulu to Painan, Padang, Pariaman, Maninjau, Pidie, Banda Aceh, Meuleboh and Singkil. But in its development, activities Tabot disappeared in many places. Until in the end only in two places, namely in the name of the Tabot Bengkulu and West Sumatra in Pariaman (go around the year 1831) with the title Tabuik. Both are the same, but the implementation is somewhat different ways.
If at first ceremony Tabot (Tabuik) used by the Shi'ites to commemorate the death of Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, since the people Sipai escape the influence of Shi'ism, the ceremony is performed only as an obligation of families to meet the testament of their ancestors. Later, since the last decade, in addition to carrying out the will of ancestors, the ceremony is also intended as a form of participation of the people Sipai in coaching and development of the local culture Bengkulu area.

Social and cultural conditions, it seems, is also the cause of the ordinance implementation perberbedaan Tabot ceremony. In Bengkulu, for example, Tabotnya numbered 17 that show the number of families who carry out initial Tabot, while the in Pariaman only consists of two kinds Tabot (Tabuik) is Tabuik Subarang and Tabuik Pasa. Tabot landfills (Tabuik) between Bengkulu and Pariaman also different. At first Tabot in Bengkulu in the waste into the sea as in West Sumatra Pariaman. However, in its development, Tabot in Bengkulu dumped in the swamps around the cemetery known as the tomb believed to be a place Karbela dimakamnya Senggolo alias Imam Sheikh Burhanuddin.

Lately, a lot of criticism from various elements of society towards the implementation of the ceremony Tabot. One of the most fundamental of all these criticisms is the change in the function of ritual ceremonies Tabot religious nuances become just a mere cultural festival. This appears to be due to the fact that the ceremony Tabot are people of non-Shiites. The loss of the values ​​of sacred ceremonies Tabot further exacerbated by the emergence of what became known as the Tabot development (Tabot whose existence as programed by the government and amounted to much).

Equipment-Equipment ceremony Tabot

To perform the ceremony Tabot, there is some equipment that must be prepared, including:
Making Tabot

Completeness of tools for creating Tabot include: bamboo, rattan, paper, cardboard, paper mar-mar, paper grip, rope, knife carving, drawing tools, flashlights, decorative lights, paper flowers, plastic flowers and so forth. If seen from the number of tools required, then the costs required to make Tabot about 5-15 million Rupiah.

Feast and offerings

The materials used to make a feast and offerings include: glutinous rice, golden banana, sugarcane, ginger, dadeh, palm sugar, sugar, coconut, chicken, meat, spices, incense, and others.

Music Equipment Tabot

Musical instruments are usually used in ceremonies Tabot is dol and tessa. Dol is made of wood hollowed center and then covered with cow skin. Dol is shaped like a drum. Its diameter is about 70-125 cm, and the bat tool diameter of 5 cm and length 30 cm. How to use it in a way to pound. While Tessa is shaped like a drum, made of copper, iron or aluminum plate, and also from the cauldron of its surface covered degan goatskin that has been dried.

Other fittings

Other paraphernalia should be prepared on each unit Tabot are: red-white flag of the following household size poles, flag banner green or blue that measure is larger than the red-white flag, white flags which measure is the same as panels (along with pole ), a double-edged spear diujungnya hanged, duplicate zufikar sword (sword of the Prophet) with a mini size.

Values
In general, there are two values ​​contained in the implementation of the ceremony Tabot, namely: the value of religion (sacred), history, and social. Religious values ​​(sacred) in Tabot ceremony are: one, the process of land mengambik remind man of the origin of its creation. Second, despite the view that ritual Tabot contains elements of irregularities in the faith, such as the use of incantations and sacred texts in the procession mengambik soil, but the essence is to sensitize us that diversity can not be separated from the values ​​of local culture. And third, the implementation of the ceremony is a celebration for menyambutan Tabot Islamic new year.
The value contained in the cultural history Tabot is a manifestation of love and to commemorate the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Abi Talib who was killed in Padang Karbela and also as an expression of hostility against the Umayyad family in general and specifically on Yazid bin Muawiya, the Umayyad caliph who ruled at that time, along with the Governor 'Ubaidillah bin Ziyad who ordered the attack on Husayn bin' Ali and his army. The social values ​​contained in it, among other things: to remind people to practice penghalalan all means to get to the peak power and a symbol of a social concern.
Many of the values ​​of wisdom that can be extracted and used as a foundation for living life, but if not addressed wisely, then the Tabot ceremony will be just a cultural festival which is essentially meaningless. Lively in the implementation (festival) but lost sepiritual.