Erau

For other uses, see Erau (disambiguation).

The Dayak tribe during an Erau ceremony in Tenggarong

Mengulur Naga, one of the contemporary Erau procession

Mengulur Naga (literally unfurling the dragon)

Belimbur, the top event in contemporary Erau procession, where festival participants spray each other with water

Erau is an Indonesian biennial cultural festival, taking place in the city of Tenggarong, Kutai Kartanegara. The word Erau is derived from the Kutai word eroh, meaning crowded, noisy, joyful.

History

Erau was first performed when Aji Batara Agung Dewa Sakti was 5 years old, during the ceremonial tijak tanah (literally step on ground) and mandi ke tepian (literally bathing to the shore). When Aji Batara Agung Dewa Sakti was appointed as the first Sultan of Kutai Kartanegara (1300-1325), it was commemorated by an Erau ceremony. Every coronation of the Kutai Kartangera sultans since then had been commemorated with an Erau ceremony. Erau ceremonies then developed from being solely a commemoration of a Sultan's coronation to a celebration commemorating the vesting of title to individuals for their outstanding service for the great of the kingdom.

The Erau ceremonies were traditonally organised by the palace courtiers, who would invite the kingdom's community leaders. Arriving from all corners of the kingdom, the leaders would bring supplies of food, livestock, fruits, and also artists for entertainment. The Sultan and his courtiers would then provide free meals to the kingdom's citizens as a gesture of the Sultan's gratitude to the dedication of his people.

The last known traditional Erau ceremony was in 1965, for the commemoration of the Sultan Aji Pangeran Adipati Praboe Anoem Soerya Adiningrat commemoration. The traditional Erau ceremony ended along with the end of the Kutai Kartanegara Sultanate reign, when its territory was converted into the autonomous region of Kutai Kartanegara (abbrev. Kukar) Regency.

Modern Erau

In the effort of preserving the cultural traditions of Kutai, the bupati (taken from a Sanskrit word, which contemporarily means the holder of executive power of the local government) of Kukar Regency government, Drs. H. Achmad Dahlan, mandated that Erau be a biennial festival comemmorating the foundation of the capital Tenggarong in 29 September 1782. This biennial festival was first held in 1971.

From the advice of Kukar's last Sultan, Sultan Aji Muhammad Parikesit, the district government is only allowed to exercise some traditional ceremonies, and not others such as the tijak kepala (literally step on head) and the vesting of titles. Other activities that are allowed are art performances, sport or agility performances, and other tribal traditional ceremonies such as one from the Dayak tribe.

Erau festival, held every September, has now been included in the Indonesian national tourism calendar of events. It is no longer associated with cultural tradition of the Kukar Sultanate palace, but rather to showcase the arts and culture that exist and thrive across the regency.