The Batak tribe is one of the tribes in Indonesia that is still very strong in maintaining its culture and traditions. The following are some of the traditional Batak tribal traditions that still exist today:
1. It is normal to marry a cousin or a pariban in Batak
The Batak people generally come from the northern island of Sumatra. Many Batak tribes inhabit this area, such as the Karo Highlands, Langkat Hulu, Deli, Serdang, Simalungun, Toba, Mandailing, and Tapanuli Tengah. The Batak tribe holds a philosophy of life that reflects the personality of the Batak tribe.
There is an expression in the Batak custom: pariban (cousin) is rokkap (mate). But don’t get me wrong just yet. Not just cousins can be married. In Batak culture, if you are a girl, then you can marry the son of your father’s younger sister. Conversely, if you are a boy, then you can marry the daughter of your mother’s younger brother.
2. Mangulosi custom in Batak wedding culture
Mangulosi comes from the word ulos. Ulos is a type of cloth that is the typical clothing of the Batak people. Ulos has a literal meaning which means cloth. The method of making ulos is more or less the same as the method of making Palembang’s typical songket, which is not using a machine but using a traditional weaving tool.
Mangulosi is the custom of giving ulos cloth to others as an offering. Usually this one tradition is carried out at weddings. However, not just anyone can carry out this mangulosi custom. Only people who are elders of their tribe are allowed to do this.
3. Batak people like to do Martarombo
As previously mentioned, the family culture is very close to the customs and daily lives of the Batak people. In this case, the Batak community itself has a custom called martarombo, which is a tradition of chatting with one another in order to seek sibling relationships with one another.
Usually in a martarombo, family elders will ask about the genealogy of other families in order to seek kinship in their clan in order to strengthen kinship.
4. Tuhor custom in marriage
Tuhor means ‘money’ which is used to buy a woman who is going to propose to the male party. This tuhor money will usually be used later to finance the wedding party along with all the traditional wedding needs such as kebaya, and so on.
The amount of this tuhor fee is usually higher if the woman’s education is also high or the job is important. Batak people who still hold strong ancestral customs usually still practice this culture, but for moderate or more modern Batak people they usually start to put this one culture aside.
5. The culture of Mandok Hata before the turn of the year
Mandok hata means talking or chatting before the turn of the year. This habit is usually carried out during large family gatherings. Usually the theme of the chat includes reflections on previous years and plans for the following years, followed by apologizing to each other. More or less almost like a thanksgiving or valentine celebration.
So, the Batak tribe also has a variety of unique and interesting traditions. Come on, get interesting information from Indonesiar.com.
