Mangayubagya Sri Sultan & Sri Paduka Paku Alam

On 10 October this year, both Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Sri Paduka Paku Alan X were re-inducted as the Governor and Vice Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta for 2017-2022 term of office. This inauguration was so distinctive due to the region's special status in the nation. It is special in a way that the Governor should be the recent Sultan of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat and the Vice Governor should be the recent Sri Paduka Paku Alam. It means that these governmental positions will be held by these two kings as long as they're still alive. Once a king passes away, either position will be vacant until the coronation of the next king.

The current Governor is Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and the Vice Governor is Sri Paduka Paku X. This state of being special (Javanese call it istimewa) brings happiness and blessings to the people of Yogyakarta. Though  living in the modern era, they still 'live' with their King.

To express their gratitude of still having the same 'Men of the people', the Kraton, helped by some communities (that care about culture and art preservation), organized some events. The whole events are called 'Mangayubagya Pelantikan Gubernur dan Wakil Gubernur DIY'.

The programs were organized for about a week long, but not in a row, i.e. on 20, 21, 22, 24, 25 and 29 October. They were organized in different places. There were 'Kenduri Ageng & Open House' at Bangsal Kepatihan, 'Tasyakuran bersama Habib Lutfi' at Pagelaran Kraton Yogyakarta, 'Gelar Seni Mangayubagya' in Nglanggeran, Waduk Sermo, Mangunan and Laguna Depok, 'Doa 'Tasyakuran' at Bangsal Sewatama of Pura Pakualaman, 'Gelar Budaya Mangayubagya' at Pagelaran Kraton Yogyakarta and Alun-Alun Sewandanan of Pura Pakualaman, 'Doa Syukur Lintas Agama' at Sasana Hinggil of Alun-Alun Kidul and 'Festival Gerobak Sapi' at Candi Banyunibo Sleman.

Among these programs, I had an opportunity to watch the 'Gelar Budaya Mangayubagya' at Pagelaran Kraton Yogyakarta. Though there were many people showed up, that night's atmosphere at the Pagelaran was so tranquil. There were some performances of traditional performing arts like sendratari, choir, wayang orang, other traditional dances and gamelan.

Though there wasn't any glamorous concept, the event signed how earthy the life of Yogyakartans is. There was no blinking stage. The spectators sat on traditional mats, not sofas or chairs. The presence of angkringan sellers made it even more down-to-earth. Jogja is beautiful in that way, and I'm really proud of that.