Ngawi’s Keduk Beji Ritual Draws Thousands to Sacred Spring
- 16 Sep 2026 08:51 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- Tawun villagers held the annual Keduk Beji ritual to clean and preserve the Beji spring while honoring ancestral traditions.
- The ceremony draws up to 4,000 visitors, boosting Tawun Tourism Park and regional tourism in Ngawi.
RRI.CO.ID, Ngawi - The community of Tawun Village in Kasreman Subdistrict, Ngawi Regency, East Java, performed the ancient Keduk Beji ritual on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, combining natural spring conservation with ancestral heritage rites.
Held annually on Selasa Kliwon in the Javanese calendar, the ceremony centers on dredging debris and leaves from the Beji spring, which provides vital irrigation, drinking water, and recreational supply for the region. Male villagers of all ages gather in the water to clean the pool while performing traditional dance movements and friendly sparring using tree branches accompanied by live gendang drumming.
The core of the ceremony involves replacing a sacred clay jug (kendi) stored inside an underwater cave at the spring's source. This sacred task is strictly performed by direct descendants of Eyang Ludro Joyo, an revered ancestral village elder believed to have vanished at the spring during meditation.
The ceremony concludes with pouring palm wine (legen) into the source, passing offerings from east to west across the spring, and sharing communal meals from twin ceremonial produce towers (Gunungan Lanang and Gunungan Wadon).
Data from the Ngawi Youth, Sports, and Tourism Agency (Disparpora) indicates that the annual ceremony boosts park attendance from a typical weekend average of 300 to 500 visitors up to 4,000 attendees from neighboring regions, including Madiun, Magetan, Bojonegoro, and Solo.
Ngawi Deputy Regent Dwi Rianto Jatmiko detailed the environmental and spiritual significance of the ritual during the event at Tawun Tourism Park. He emphasized that ancestral heritage rites play an essential role in ecological conservation and regional tourism development.
"Keduk Beji is a tradition of Tawun residents that has been carried out for generations, this activity serves to maintain environmental balance and acts as an expression of gratitude for the blessing of the Beji water spring, which gives life to the local community," Dwi said in Ngawi on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, as quoted by Antara.
He underscored the importance of protecting water security during peak dry weather conditions while promoting the event as a key tourism asset. "Keduk Beji has become one of the distinctive cultural traditions in Ngawi, from the past, Tawun tourism has possessed this historical tradition that we need to preserve, ensuring the spring remains clean and flowing during the dry season," Dwi added. ***
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