APEM and the Underworld or APEM dan Dunia Orang Mati

Java’s Mystical Mountain 1

When I was still crazy about doing outdoor adventure activities just like hiking for example, there were some of mystical things I should considered a lot. It didn’t mean that I love to search the every truth of it but just in case who knew it might be useful for me in the right time and space.

Dimasa ketika saya masih menggilai kegiatan Pecinta Alam atau naik-naik ke Gunung ada beberapa hal mistis yang harus saya perhatikan. Bukannya untuk mencarinya kebenarannya. Yaaah… siapa tahu kelak hal itu bisa berguna disaat yang tepat. 

Almost most of Java Mountains in especially in the eastern part of the island had it own mystical phenomena. Whether it was only superstitious or just local beliefs, we never know how to figure out its truth. Anyhow, it was nothing wrong when we just barely knew about it, didn’t we?...

Hampir semua pegunungan di pulau Jawa bagian timur memiliki cerita mistis tersendiri. Entah itu hanya berupa takhayul atau kepercayaan setempat kita belum tahu kebenarannya juga. Toh tidak ada salahnya bila kita sekedar tahu bukan?….

My senior, who was the activist in hiking organization of his campus where he was studying, that time he studied in University of Bhayangkara Surabaya in East Java, the class of the nineties, fondly shared us about this Mystical phenomenon beneath. Bayu, by his name or some would called him “Jamaika”, always had some stories or tales about Mystical Mountain who he got from his community. 

Senior saya, yang dulunya aktif kegiatan PA dikampusnya yakni Univ. Bhayangkara Surabaya angkatan tahun 90-an sering sekali berbagi cerita tentang hal ini. Si Bayu atau biasa disebut dengan panggilan Jamaika selalu saja mempunyai cerita-cerita mistis yang dia dapatkan dari komunitasnya.

APEM and the Underworld

APEM dan Dunia Orang Mati

It was told that there was a young hiker who got lost and separated from his companionship. He felt that he entered, lived and existed in another world or the world which was called the underworld.  In a time, he entered the underworld. He explored the territory ahead of his eyes. How he was amazed, or it could be he was being dazzled by his sight that he found himself in a region who populated by a number of “mankind”. He had a doubt and had so many questions that filled up his mind so that he was eager to find out by asking anyone he met there. It could be that he felt little bit awkward. Supposed he knew this region well, there was none sense of possibilities that this crowded territory was being well organized similar to a kingdom or a village.       

Diceritakan dulu ada seorang pendaki gunung yang tersesat dan terlepas dari groupny. Dia berada di alam lain atau biasa disebut dengan kata “Dunia Lain”. Suatu ketika dia masuk daerah tersebut dan menyelusuri daerah tersebut dan betapa herannya, ketika dia menemukan sebuah kawasan yang dihuni “manusia”. Pendaki tersebut agak ragu dan bingung maka dia menanyakan daerah apa ini. Mungkin saja dia merasa janggal dan apabila dia tahu medan maka mana mungkin dia menemukan pemukiman yang ramai yang diorganisasi layaknya kerajaan atau Desa.

This is the "Capil" resources aindonetwork.co.id

Without wasting time anymore, he asked to one citizen he met there. Coincidently, he met an old man who dressed like an ordinary mountain man… or a common villager. Moreover, according to his description, the old man wore a mountain head cover or “Capil”, the term designed for it which the shape was round and wide, a conic, and it was made of bamboo entwined. 

Jadinya dia bertanya kepada salah seorang yang dijumpainya disana. Kebetulan waktu itu, dia bertemu dengan seorang laki-laki tua yang berpakaian seperti orang pegunungan atau yaaaah… orang desa. Lebih lanjut dia orang tua tersebut memakai topi gunung atau “Capil” yakni yang bundar lebar dan berbentuk kerucut yang terbuat dari ayaman bamboo.

How surprisingly when he found out the truth as he feared off. He was told that he was living in the world but it was not like the world he used to live by far. The old man, intended to raise him to become his foster son and would fulfill every single thing he would ask for. All his will would be granted, as long as he forgot his willingness to come back to his truly world. Well, it could be said that the hiker didn’t have any sort of chance at all to be back to his family and friends in the living world again.

The Oldman resources wordesignmysoul.blogspot.com

Betapa terkejutnya dia ketika dia telah berada didunia lain atau didunia yang bukan dia diami selama ini. Bapak tua tadi, malahan hendak mengangkat dia menjadi anaknya dan akan memberikan semua yang dia kehendaki atu dia minta. SEMUA yanga dia MINTA akan digenapi. Asalkan dia tidak kembali kedunianya dia. Bisa juga dia juga tidak memiliki kesempatan sama sekali untuk kembali. 

It is seemed that the old man had sympathy to this young hiker, he recognized that young man didn’t consume any course he had served before him. Furthermore, not a single food he ate when he was living in the underworld. He admitted not having feeling of starving at all.

Sepertinya Bapak Tua tadi simpati dan menaruh kasih kepada pemuda tersebut. Dia memperhatikan kalau pemuda tersebut tidak menyantap semua hidangan yang seharusnya dia makan. TAK SATUPUN yang dia makan selama dia berada didunia lain tersebut. 

As the tale went by, once again, the old man asked him a question. “What do exactly you want so I could grant it for you?” asked the old man. “Send me back to my world I beg you” the young hiker replied. “It could not be” the old man said. While they were talking, the young hiker remembered about a thing then he asked for it. He asked for a simple thing… which is APEM cake. He asked merely just that cake. “Well, if it is what you ask for, I could not give you. We don’t have what you asked in our world.” Added the old man. “Is there anything else to replace what you have asked me to?” continued the old man. “If you don’t have what I have asked before, please send me back home?” Said the young hiker. “I can show you the path but could you pass the pass that I would show you?” the old man replied.

Lanjut cerita, Bapak tua tadi sekali bertanya ke pemuda tersebut, apa yang sebenarnya dia inginkan agar dikabulkan. Si Pemuda Ngotot ingin pulang. Akhirnya si pemuda teringat sesuatu dan dia minta satu hal sepele sih… yakni kue APEM. Hanya itu saja.  “Wah kalau itu yang kamu minta. Itu tidak ada didunia kami. Trus apa sebagai gantinya?” tutur Bapak tua tadi. “Kalau tidak ada ya ijinkan saya kembali ke dunia saya Pak” lanjut si Pemuda tadi. “Tapi jalannya sukar lho, bisa ta kamu?” imbuh bapak tua tadi.

 After knowing the path he had to travel, the young hiker thought it was impossible for him to accomplish. So that he asked the old man favor. The old man carried him on his back. They had to travel through a long and narrow and also dangerous bridge made of two or three bars of Bamboo bridge. Imagine how hard and difficult his travel was. Moreover, there was no grip or handle at all along the bridge... 

Setelah tahu jalan yang harus dilalui si pemuda tadi merasa tidak mampu sehingga Bapak tadi menggendong Pemuda tadi tuk melewati JEMBATAN BAMBOO yang panjang. Bisa dibayangkan, dia harus melewati jurang dan hanya berjalan melewati jembatan bamboo yang hanya tersusun dari dua atau tiga batang bamboo yang disambung. Plus tidak ada pengangannya…

End of the story, the young hiker with the assistance of the old man arrived safely across the ravine, and had his ticket to come back to his world again… Still there was something amazed him further!!! When he was considered being lost… and the time he recalled back after life… it took for about THREE MONTHS time! The youth remember that it couldn’t be that long… when he was living in the underworld…. 

Akhir kata… pemuda tadi dengan bantuan Bapak Tua tiba diseberang dan kembali kedunianya kembali… betapa mengherankan… waktu dia dikabarkan hilang dan muncul kembali sekitar TIGA BULAN… seingatnya pemuda tadi dia tidak selam itu berada di dunia lain tersebut.

The most interesting part of this story is… when he asked for an APEM…

Yang meanarik mengapa pemuda tadi meminta kue Apem???

We, as modern Javanese never know for sure why in our common tradition when we pray for the departed family or for the death, we always present Apem along with traditional courses. Similar tradition happens when we want to welcome and enter the RAMADHAN month. We always have this APEM cake….  

Entah kenapa ini juga tradisi orang jawa pada umumnya ketika mereka selamatan bagi orang meninggal selalu aja diberi kue Apem dan begitu pula ketika hendak memasuki bulan ramadhan bagi orang desa selalu menyediakan dan menyertakan kue apem di ater-aternya….

So.. Please do remember this, Avoid consuming the course of the underworld when you accidently enter the underworld and remember about the CAKE the APEM… which is associated with the cake of the death… 

So… ingat-ingat hal ini, jangan sekali-kali mengkonsumsi makanan didunia lain dan ingatlah kue apem yang identik dengan selamatan kematian.