2. Indonesian Custom

Sungkeman

Every country has different custom and every country also has a unique custom. We can learn any customs from other country if it is agree with our culture we can adopt it. As Indonesian I also want to show that there are many customs that maybe other country do not have it. Sungkeman is one of Indonesia custom. Sungkeman is something that you do to apologize to someone older than you especially to your mother and father. You sit with knees bent and hump your back, that is sungkeman is. Sungkeman usually does when you are getting married or when lebaran day. When you get married, you and your husband or wife knees in front of your parents while your parents sit on the chair then you hump your back and asking prayer and blessing from your parents so that you life happily with your partner. When you sungkeman in your marriage it also means thay you thankful to your parents because your parents already kept and took care of you since you were born until you find your partner and get married. Then when lebaran day people do it after Idul Fitri prayer. When they back from mosque and they get on together in the house, the children sungkeman to their parents. They apologize their mistakes to them and wish their parents would forgive them. They also promise to not do the same mistakes anymore later.

I guess sungkeman is only there in Indonesia and other country can adopt it if they want. I think this custom is the unique one because you show your regretful by knees in front of your parents. In abroad usually when the children did something wrong and apologize to their mother they just say “ mom, I am sorry for the mistakes that I have done.” Then they will kiss his mother’s cheek and hug her tightly. But in Indonesia when you did something wrong that may hurt your father or mother and blaming yourself for the thing that you have done, you will knees, hump your back, reach your father’s pr mother’s hands then kiss her hand and say that how regret you are and say sorry from the bottom of your heart. Maybe you will cry when you sungkeman to your parents because yourself is covered by regretfull. For me sungkeman is more meaningfull and has a meaning. When you sungkeman to your parents, your parents will sit on the chair while you sit with knees bent on the floor, it means that your parents is higher than you. They will give and do everything to their beloved children so, as a children you have to respect to your parents, someone who has gave everything for you. They are the truly hero in our life. Without them we can’t do nothing. When you knees in front of them, it shows that how feel sorry you are and beg to your parents so that forgive you. But it doesn’t mean hug and kiss your parents is not worth it and can’t make your parents forgive you. When you said sorry to your mother then you kiss and hug her it can make you better because you’ve confessed your mistakes and stop blaming yourself.of course your mother will happy because you did something right, confessed your mistakes. Sungkeman is just another way to apologize to your parents. When you did a mistakes and you want to apologize to your parents you can just say sorry and hug them. It’ s not bad to do. Sungkeman is just a tradition. Maybe I can explain well about sungkeman but I wish other people in other country can adopt it as their habit but the whole world have to know that sungkeman is Indonesia’s som when other country sdopt this custom Indonesian will be proud.

In short, sungkeman is one of Indonesia custom that I wish other country could adopt it because sungkeman is good to show how blaming you are to your parents and beg your parents to forgive you.