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The Saparan Ceremony in Yogyakarta is actually celebrated by the people of Ambarketawang. This festival is actually a ceremonial offering made in order to propitiate the gods. The people in Ambarketawang used to make their living by digging limestone that is to be found in this area. The limestone hills in Ambarketawang are prehistoric and also rare. They are almost 50 million years old and there are only three such hills in the world. The festival is of great importance to the local people and they believe that misfortune would befall them if they do not observe the ceremony though there is hardly anything left of those limestone hills today.
The festival is held in the Javanese month of Sapar on the Thursday night of the second week. The festival takes its name from the name of the month.
The festival is marked with a procession that is made by the members of the Noble family of KI Ageng Wonolelo. There is a wooden mosque dome, the holy Quran, bandil and a wooden club are among the many things that are carried in this traditional parade. People walk the heirlooms wearing traditional dress. The procession ends at the Ki Ageng's cemetery.
The Apem Cake is a special food item that is especially prepared during this festival. This food is considered to be sacred and the locals believe that eating the cake would bring them health and prosperity and also restore their youth. The people believe that observing the ceremony would help them protect their rice fields from destructive pests.
The beheading of the Bekakak marks the end of the ceremony. The bride and bridegroom dolls made of sticky rice and brown sugar syrup are carried through the entire procession and then finally beheaded at the termination of the ceremony.
The visitors always enjoy the colorful parades and are able to grasp much of the traditions and customs of this ancient society.
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