FESTIVAL TABUT IN BENGKULU

In Bengkulu, Festival Tabut is always held annually. Festival Tabut   is a day of mourning ceremonies on the death of the Great Syaid Husien bin Ali, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. The essence of the ceremony was in memory of the effort and the efforts of the Shiite leader and his people who seek to collect the parts of the bodies Husien. Having collected all the parts of his body and buried then paraded in Padang Karbala. 

Tabut derived from the At-Tabut which literally means box or crate. At-Tabut has existed since the time of Moses and Aaron, at the time of At-Tabut was brought down to earth by angels. According to the beliefs of the Israelites, At-Tabut is a crate or box to store the bodies of their leaders. They believe that the At-Tabut should remain in their hands as this will bring good. Instead calamity to come if the At-Tabut not in their hands.

Bengkulu people all over the world even know the word Tabut with tabot. It turns out that actually the Tabut was discussed at a national seminar held in Balai Kota, Bengkulu city.

The whole ceremony lasted for 10 days, ie from 01 to 10 Muharram. The stages of the Tabut ceremony is as follows: Taking the Land, Sitting Penja, Meradai, chopping, Penja Arak, Arak Serban, Gam (the quiet period / mourning) and Arak Gedang and Tabot wasted.

At around 10:00 PM on 10 sacred procession Tabot released by the Governor of Bengkulu to go public cemetery complex Karabela and Panjang Beach. This place became the location of the ritual tabot wasted because there buried Imam Senggolo (Sheikh Burhanuddin) pioneer Tabot ceremony in Bengkulu. With the end Tabot wasted it ended all Tabot ceremonial ritual.