Three Colors on Kelimutu Lake, a Wonder of the World

Kelimutu Lake or the Three-Colored Lakes is on the top of Kelimutu Mount. It is located in Ende District, Flores Island, NTT, Indonesia. Kelimutu Lake is a famous tourism destination in Flores Island. Somebody said to me, “If you come to Flores but not visiting Kelimutu, it means you’re not come to Flores”.

Kelimutu Mount has 3-crater lakes, that each has different color. So it is named 3-Color Lake or Kelimutu Lake. The colors always change with the passage of time. Now the colors are green, blue, and black.  

The local people believe that each lake has powerful natural force. The first lake is Tiwu Ata Mbupu with black color (the previous color was white). It is the place of the souls of the old people who have died. The second lake is Tiwu Nuwa Muri Koo Fai with blue color. It’s believed as a gathering place for the souls of young people who have died. The third lake is named Tiwu Ata Pol. It’s green now. It is believed as the place for the souls of the dead and as long as they lived always do crime or magic. Before changed to be green, the color was red. That’s why if the color of lake is changed, the local people will give offerings for the souls of the died people. 

According of science, discoloration of Kelimutu Lake caused by mineral content within the lake. But no one knows exactly when the lakes were discolored. There was no one who ever saw. That’s why some people said that Kelimutu Lake is one of the Wonders of the World.

Kelimutu Lake was found by Van Such Telen at 1915. But the beauty of Kelimutu Lake is widely known after Y. Bouman describes in his writings in 1929. Since 1992, Kelimutu Zone was stated as National Natural Conservation Area.

Position Adat Law in Indonesian Legal System

Adat law is one of components of legal system in Indonesia. It’s mirror of traits, culture, and values of Indonesians.

Adat Law is one of component of Legal System in Indonesia, beside Western Law and Islamic Law. Adat Law is very important, because it’s original law of Indonesia.

Adat law, or it’s often only mentioned as Adat, is unwritten law. The source of Adat Law is habits and customs that done continuously and obeyed as law by Indonesians. Because Adat is unwritten, grow, developed and maintained in social life, so can adjust to changing times and elastic.

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Breaking Egg in Javanese Marriage and its Values

Javanese marriage is marriage that fulfilled by ceremonies. Ingredients that used in the ceremonies are to much and sometimes unique. Even chicken egg is used in a ceremony.

One of unique marriage ceremonies of Javanese tribe is connected to egg is ‘ngidak endog’ (breaking egg) that continued by ‘wijik’ (cleaning). In the ceremony, the bridegroom must break a chicken egg by his feet. Then the bride cleans the bridegroom’s feet that dirty by flower water.

Those ceremonies contain traditional values. Contain good hopes. Breaking the egg symbolizes that the couple’s aura has faded sexually. Bride cleans bridegroom’s feet symbolizes wife’s submission to husband. It also symbolizes that good behavior will effect good result too. It’s a hope that from the marriage will be borne good children that will dedicate their selves to parent, family and country.

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(Image from Google)

Sungkeman, A Form of Respect for Older

Sungkeman is unique tradition in Yogyakarta and Center Java, Indonesia. Sungkeman is from word sungkem, activity to ask blessing by kneel down and kiss someone’s hand. It’s part of Java culture. It usually committed in marriage ritual and in Idul Fitri (Ied, Ied-ul Fitr). It’s a touching moment.

As a ritual in marriage program, the bride and bride-room commit sungkeman to their parent. They purpose to ask praying and blessing of the parent. Whereas sungkeman in Idul Fitri is done not only to parent, but to the other that older. The other that older, like older brother/sister, grandfather/grandmother, uncle/aunt, even neighbor that close.
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Mudik, Gathering Time with Family

Every country, every region, always has culture or tradition itself. Indonesia does too. Connected to holiday Indonesia has unique tradition that no place (I think) has it. The tradition called mudik.

Mudik is activity of migrant workers to back home to their birthplace. It usually is done in holiday, like Idul Fitri (Ied, Ied-ul fitr, Lebaran) or Christmas. The biggest mudik always happens in Idul Fitri every year. Exactly a week before until a week after Idul Fitri. It can be understood because Indonesia is a country with the biggest Muslim population in the world.

After work for months in a big city or other district or other island or abroad, after fasting a month, an Indonesian will commit mudik to gather with parent, big family and old friends. It’s a special moment, special day.

Read more: http://trifter.com/asia-pacific/indonesia/mudik-gathering-time-with-family/#ixzz1W60rqIgm

Mudik, Gathering Time with Family | Trifter

Cause of Inheritance

There are some reasons why inheritance happen. In Islamic Law, inheritance happen one of things below:

1. Nasab (blood relation), like: Child, grandchild, father, mother, brother/sister from same mother/father
2. Marriage connection: husband and wife, include if never has mixed or has divorced but still in period of iddah talak raj’i
3. Walak connection is connection between ex-slave and someone free him/her. If the ex-slave has no heir so someone free him/her has right to inherit. But now, walak/wala connection cannot be used because slavery is erased.
4. Jihatul Islam (Islam destination): baitul mal (treasury of state). If deceased leave no heir, so inheritance will fall to baitul mal. Baitul mal is treasury of state that accommodates public wealth to use to need of society. Baitul mal receive wealth from sources like tax, zakat, booty of war, lost wealth that the owner is unknown or inheritance with no heir. Ulama syafi’iyah entered baitul mal as one of reasons of inheritance.

Debt of Deceased

When one dead, sometimes he/she leave wealth and debt. In this case, although the deceased has heir, but creditor’s right is more principal than heir’s right. Mean, inheritance can not be given to heir before the debt is paid. So the heir only can receive remains of inheritance after reduced paid debt.

Fiqih Islam divides deceased debt into:

1. debt to God, like: zakat, haji,nadzar
2. debt to other human:

· debt that no relation with inheritance: mahar debt, money debt without pawn

· debt that has relation with inheritance: pawn debt.

If one dead and leave debt to God, is the debt become fall?

1. According to Madzab Hanafi: If no testament (wasiat) to fulfil debt to Allah, so the debt is assumed fall by his/her dead. Reason: debts to Allah is worship that to execute it needed executive’s intention.
2. According to other madzab (Maliki, Syafi’I, Hambali, Dhahiri): debt to Allah is not become fall by one’s dead, because the debt is obligation that related to property that the executive does not need intention to do it.

About opinion that debt to Allah must be paid, so which must be paid first, debt to Allah or debt to other human? There are differences of opinion among ulamas.

1. Ulama Syafi’iyah and Dhahiriyah: debt to Allah must be paid first. Reason: hadist Nabi thought that Allah’s rights are more principal to fulfil.
2. Ulama Malikiyah: debt to human is more principal, because human needs to receive the payment.
3. Ulama Hambaliyah: debt related with inheritance are more principal than debt to Allah, and debt that has no relation with inheritance are assumed as same with debt to Allah.