Writing about the Manganan Tradition

Indonesia is a country of varied cultures which have developed from the daily traditions of its communities. Each region has its own tradition which is different from others. Traditions in Java are not the same as those in Sumatera; traditions in Sulawesi are different from Bali. However, ironically, many of these traditions are being forgotten, driven out by modernization. One way to make the younger generation appreciate old traditions is to re-introduce them either at home or at school.

To make his students aware of their own culture, Sutarno, S.Pd, M.Pd, a teacher of Bahasa Indonesia at SMPN 2 Semanding, Tuban, introduced them to an old tradition which has long been practiced in their area. There are many traditions around coastal areas such as Tuban. One of them is Manganan. Manganan, which people in other areas call thanksgiving, is the expression of gratitude to God Almighty for His blessing of generous crops to farmers.

Pak Sutarno asked his students to go out of class to find facts and information about Manganan and to write a report or feature story about it. The students used several sources of information. Besides observing practices directly, they interviewed people about the old tradition. In addition, the students also found information on the Internet.

Students can learn from community. In this picture, a group of students are interviewing a member of community who knows about the history of Manganan.

Students used the internet to get information on Manganan.

Whibin “Today’s lesson was interesting. Now I know about the tradition of Manganan. Besides that, I also enjoyed the discussion with my friends.”

Ani “The lesson today was exciting, because we not only had a lesson in the classroom, but also outdoors.”