By Ananta K. Wibawa
”Don’t ever change someone’s name, if you haven’t made red and white porridge.” This proverb is often heard, but red and white pooridge begins rare found in daily life. How does it look?
Red and White Porridge is a traditional food often made to commemorate weton or a birthday in appropriate with Javanese calender. When we’re still child, my mother always made that food for us. This porridge always presents in every anniversary ceremony (mentioned as selamatan in Javanese language or also often mentioned as bancakan which means having meals together).
It is made of rice, boiled with salt, pandanus leaf and water till become porridge. Then it will be added with condensed coconut milk, stirred flat and boiled again till become thick. Some of porridge will be boiled again with blend of water and coconut sugar, then it becomes brownish color porridge. That’s so-called red porridge. After that, the red porridge will be poured into some bowls. Each of red porridge in each of bowl will be poured with little white porridge on top till created a combination of red and white porridge. It’s thick, tasted sweet and delicious.
Made of rice, thick, tasted sweet and delicious (taken from internet)
The colors of red and white for Indonesians have special meanings. Besides those are colors of the national flag. Nevertheless, in genuine, the flag colors as symbolism of the hereditary Indonesia Nation's outlook regarding the colors of red and white that are considered representing someone’s birth.
There are various types of thinking in Indonesia rooted from various cultures of ethnic groups, but similar in tone, red is a symbol of blood color and white is a symbol of sperm color. Both substances are believed as biological origin of human. A belief that actually is universal in nature, either cosmological or metaphysical even more biological. Even in Islam, as the major religion of Indonesians, it was affirmed in the first Qur’an verse delivered to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), exactly in Surah (Letter of Verses) Al ‘Alaq (The Clot), stated that God created man from a "clot of congealed blood" poured of life through sperm.
Red and white as the symbol colors of human origin are translated into a form of food that is served in some special ceremony to commemorate someone’s birthday with rice as the key ingredient. Rice is chosen to represent the staple food consumed by most Indonesians who basically are agrarian community. The obsession of agrarian community is thriving plants for humans life. Plants will thrive when it is created harmony between the earth and the heaven, between the rains and the lands. Thus, the staple foods that are originated from plants also as a representation of life values believed by agrarian community.
Nowadays, in accordance with time changing, this food is apparently rare found in rural communities. Some mistakes in applying any westerner life pattern that is overwhelming majority people lifestyle cause that. Mostly Indonesians in rural communities are consumers of western lifestyle and considering the tradition of red and white porridge is no longer appropriate with the trends in modern era. Nevertheless, for most Indonesian villagers and hinterlanders still keep the tradition and faith strongly.
Similar Form in Other Country
Apperently, this porridge also got ”a cousin” in other hemisphere, exactly in Denmark. The nation that ever been a birth place of the Vikings the Conqueror, has a traditional food that’s popularly called as Risallemande.
It is made of rice and formed as some dough of white thick cream, mixed with vanilla and poured with strawberry red sauce. It is usually served cold as a kind of pudding. Name of ”Risa” is Skandinavian language which means ”Rice”
There are various types of thinking in Indonesia rooted from various cultures of ethnic groups, but similar in tone, red is a symbol of blood color and white is a symbol of sperm color. Both substances are believed as biological origin of human. A belief that actually is universal in nature, either cosmological or metaphysical even more biological. Even in Islam, as the major religion of Indonesians, it was affirmed in the first Qur’an verse delivered to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), exactly in Surah (Letter of Verses) Al ‘Alaq (The Clot), stated that God created man from a "clot of congealed blood" poured of life through sperm.
Red and white as the symbol colors of human origin are translated into a form of food that is served in some special ceremony to commemorate someone’s birthday with rice as the key ingredient. Rice is chosen to represent the staple food consumed by most Indonesians who basically are agrarian community. The obsession of agrarian community is thriving plants for humans life. Plants will thrive when it is created harmony between the earth and the heaven, between the rains and the lands. Thus, the staple foods that are originated from plants also as a representation of life values believed by agrarian community.
Nowadays, in accordance with time changing, this food is apparently rare found in rural communities. Some mistakes in applying any westerner life pattern that is overwhelming majority people lifestyle cause that. Mostly Indonesians in rural communities are consumers of western lifestyle and considering the tradition of red and white porridge is no longer appropriate with the trends in modern era. Nevertheless, for most Indonesian villagers and hinterlanders still keep the tradition and faith strongly.
Similar Form in Other Country
Apperently, this porridge also got ”a cousin” in other hemisphere, exactly in Denmark. The nation that ever been a birth place of the Vikings the Conqueror, has a traditional food that’s popularly called as Risallemande.
It is made of rice and formed as some dough of white thick cream, mixed with vanilla and poured with strawberry red sauce. It is usually served cold as a kind of pudding. Name of ”Risa” is Skandinavian language which means ”Rice”
Risallemande - property of wikipedia
This traditional food is always served in Christmas Eve. In accordance with prevailing customary in Christian Danish community since 250 years ago, Danish people are obliged to consume this food in early morning before they go to the church. Even it is hard to trace about the original history of the food existance in skandinavian land and community, nevertheless it is not hard for me to feel the similarity of faiths that live in both of Skandinavian people and Indonesian people. The faiths regarding red and white colors, rice and agrarian community and their relation to someone’s birthday moment. Christmas is a commemoration of someone’s birth isn’t it.
