THE LEGEND OF RAWA PENING

THE LEGEND OF RAWA PENING

 

Once upon a time, in the old Java there was a village.  It was Pening. Pening was a prosperous village.  The land was very good for farming and its land was very fertile, also  the weather was always good all over the years.  It was on the slope of Mount Merbabu so the climate at the area was really cool.  People made their living by cultivating rice, vegetables and fruits.  The harvest was always satisfying them.  So all of them lived happily.  That’s why once a year they held a ceremony called ‘Berseh desa’.  It was a kind of thanks giving day.  It was a day when they expressed their thankfulness to God for the successful harvest.  They would clean their village and then they would pray together.  At night they would have a dinner together and held theater performances.

One day after a succesful harvest, they would celebrate it.  That time they wanted something special.  They wanted more meat for dinner.  So they went hunting animals for meals in the woods.  Just outside of the village there was a wood where there were many animals like deer, buffalo, mouse deer, lamb and many others.  But that day there was no animal at all there.  Animals were nowhere to be seen.  The people of the village had hunted the animals but they got nothing at the area.  When it was almost dark, they were very tired so they took a rest.  They sat on something that look like a rock and a big root.  Everybody was silent because they were exhausted and disappointed.

Then suddenly someone chopped the big root they sat on with his sword to relief his disappointment.  Amazingly there was blood coming out of the root.  They were surprised.  Someone tried to chop it deeper.  He found meat !  So they chopped more and more.  Then, they collect the meat of the root in bags they brought. After their bags were full of meat they were satisfied.  Then they went home happily.

That night, when the time of having dinner together with all of the villagers,  the people of Pening were preparing a big dinner.  They wanted a special dinner with the meat they got from the wood.  Just as they were preparing dinner, a young boy came to the village,  he looked very poor and was no good looking of skin disease.  He asked for some food to some people there, but no body would like to give the meal fo him. 

Someone said :

‘We are preparing dinner.  You may come to our dinner tonight, not now’.

‘But I am very hungry, please give me food’.

‘listen! please come again tonight’. One by one of the village wouldn’t help him, finally there was an old widow who took care of him.  She was just a poor widow.  She gave him simple food and shelter for him.

‘You may take a rest here.  Join us tonight for dinner, but as you see now that I don’t have delicious meal for you, only this food I have’. Is it okay?

‘Yes, no problem. Thank you very much, I think that this food is delicious enough for me to eat.  You are very kind to me.  You are the only one who wanted to help me.  By the way thanks.  Well, mbok (Javanese language, means Madam) I want to tell you something that tonight there will be a great event at this village’.

‘Yes, there will be a great party’. Said the old woman.

‘No, I mean something special’, the young boy said

‘What do you mean?’ asked the old woman

‘I cannot say it now,  but listen to me, please!  Prepare a boat for you, yourself’

‘Why? What will happen?’ the old woman said.

‘Just do what I say’ the boy replied.

‘Please tell me what will happen?’

      ‘OK, you are very kind to me so I will tell you but please promise me that you won’t tell anyone’. ‘OK, I promise’ the woman answered

‘My name is Baro Klinting, actually  I am a dragon. When I was meditating in the slope of Mount Merbabu, some of the people here hurt me.  They hurt me by chopping part of my body, my tail.  Now they are preparing dinner with meat from my body.  So I will take my revenge tonight,  but I will save you so prepare a boat for you’.

       Actually the old woman tried to ask for forgiveness for the people who had cut his tail, but the boy would do what he wanted to revenge the area. Then the boy left.  Just before the dinner began at the village hall some boys were playing in the yard.  Suddenly the young boy came to them.

‘Hi guys I have a contest for you, I will jab my bamboo stick into the earth and whoever can take my stick out of the land, I will give a special gift for you!’ said the boy.

“Wow, fantastic. I think that is very easy man.” Said one of the boys playing.

Then he tried to pull it out but it was very strong so he could not pull it.  Another boy tried but he also failed.  Everybody failed.  So, this contest attracted adult’s attention.  One by one they tried to pull but all of them could not make it.  When many people gathered and tried to do but no body could do it. 

       Then the boy said to all people there; “O people of Pening village,  I am Naga Baro Klinting.  I am a dragon.  I was meditating in the slope of mount Merbabu when you chopped me.  Now I will take my revenge.  I will take this stick out of the earth and then there will be much water emerge from the jab of my bamboo stick.”

        Suddenly one of the village said to him; “What? Emerging water? Hahahaha, Impassible!”.

Then he pulled the bamboo stick out of the land.  Amazingly, the water really poured heavily from the ground.  The water immediately became flood in that village.  Finally the whole village and all people sank under water.  They were all drowned and died in the lake.  There was only one survivor, she was the poor old widow.  She had prepared a simple boat so she could survive. 

       Since then, the lake is called Rawa Pening.  Rawa (means lake in Javanese and Indonesian language) and Pening was the name of the village.  Nowadays people know that (Rawa Pening) or the lake is located in around of Ambarawa, Tuntang, Salatiga, Central Java Province, Indonesia. 

       People also say that this place is very well known as "BUKIT CINTA" 

Its name comes from many couples who are from out of the village have a love affair there. And we must know that when there is a couple who do something wrong of love affair, they will be separated away.

THE MORAL VALUE OF THIS STORY IS:

The story of “THE LEGEND OF RAWA PENING” teach us how to be good person, the person who should not take something which is not ours even steal it.

Because of this, there will be a big bad effect for people who had made a big mistake because of one’s purpose.