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Sekaten, Yogyakarta
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Sekaten

YogyakartaJavaEvent

A week of court gamelan in Yogyakarta, ending with a procession of rice-mountain offerings from the palace.

Sekaten marks the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad in the Javanese courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Two sacred gamelan sets are carried from the palace to the Great Mosque and played there for a week.

It ends with Grebeg Maulud, when the palace sends out gunungan — tall cone-shaped offerings of food — that the crowd shares. The date follows the Islamic calendar, so it falls earlier each year.

Why it matters

It is the clearest public expression of how Javanese court ritual and Islam are joined.

What makes it unique

The two gamelan sets played are used only for this occasion.

Good to know

  • Held once a year
  • Sacred gamelan at the Great Mosque
  • Ends with the Grebeg procession

Planning a visit

When
Follows the Islamic calendar (the month of Mulud), so the date shifts every year

Editorial estimates. NUSANTARA does not hold prices, tickets, schedules or opening hours — confirm them with an official source.

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