The World of Kejawen

The word “Kejawen” comes from a Javanese word Jawa , which means “Java”.–“ The World of Kejawen”

1.The island of Java

The island of Java is famous for its gorgeous land with its tranquil tropical climate, where paddy rice terraces lie between the hills, and beautiful mountains reach high to the blue sky. The island is also known for its beautiful beaches, with the soothing sound of the leaves of the coconut trees being caressed by the breeze.

The fertile land produces commodity plants such as: corn, cassava, vegetable plants, beans as well as other estate commodities such as : teak, coco, coffee, rubber and others.


Flowers and exotic plants with gorgeous fragrances add to the beauty of the land.

The Europeans who lived in old Java in the past used to humorously describe the fertility of the island by saying: “Be careful, don’t let your stick touch the ground for too long, it will turn into a tree!”

The Arabs too have been admirers of the all year long fertile island, with its abundant amount of food and comfortable climate.  They praised the island as: “Al Jazeera Jawa, Kit atun minal jana- The island of Java is a piece of heaven.”

As an introduction to friends of the other continents: Java is an island in Indonesia, South East Asia, located between Asia and Australia, west of Bali, a little to the south from the equator line.  It stretches 600 miles from the east to the west, with a width between 60 to 120 miles, with a total  area of 51,000 miles.

The island has a very high population, with more than 100 million people occupying the land.  The total area  of Indonesia is about 735,000  miles (1,904,000 km2).  Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia is located in Java.

2. The people of Java

In the past, those who occupied the island of Java were referred to as the Javanese.  However, as the population grew, the group of people who lived in Java, are then divided by ethnic  linguistic groups.  Those who live in west Java are referred to as the Sundanese, and the people who live in the central and east Java are referred to as the Javanese.

 Later, in the Java area, different  ethnic linguistic groups emerged: the Betawi people in Jakarta, the Baduy people in Banten, the Tengger people around the mountain Bromo, the Osing people in Banyuwangi, the Maduranese in the east side of east Java.

In the day-to-day conversation, when asked where someone is from, he or she will refer to his or her hometown as the places of origin.  Therefore there are Jogyans, Solonese, Banyumasnese, Tegalnese, Semarangnese, Madiunese, Malangnese, Surabayanese etc.

This is similar to the custom around the world where there are Londoners-people from London, New Yorkers-for people from New York, Parisien-people from Paris, Moskwic-people from Moscow.  Java is also the home for Indonesian of Chinese, Arab, Indian, and European descents and others.


The Java Man

Scientific studies found a group of the oldest human in the world lived in Java.  The fossil believed to date pre-historic days, and the remain was found in Sangiran, Sragen, central Java.  He lived in Java 1,9 million years ago.  He is now known as Homo Erectus- the standing man- and later known as the Java Man.  Further excavation in Java found more fossils in Wajak and Mojokerto.  This proved the centuries of life and culture in the island of Java, therefore it is important for the descendants of Javanese and those who live in Java to learn the history of Javanese culture.


Jayabaya: A short history and folks tale

Jayabaya is a legend among the Javanese and the Indonesian people.  His prediction of the future, known as the “Jangka Jayabaya (Jayabaya’s Time)” which told of the future of Indonesia, including the independence year of 1945, has proven to be correct.

He predicted that the Indonesian independence will commence with the coming of the Japanese troop in the country, and that this troop will defeat the Dutch and end its 3,5 centuries of colonial ruling over Indonesia. The Japanese occupation forces stayed for 3.5 years in Indonesia.  He further correctly predicted the first Queen or King – or leader- of the country, and this leader’s journey.  The prediction, which often referred to as “Pralambang Jayabaya (Jayabaya’s Symbols)”,predicts the future of the country up to the year 2150s.

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