Ritual Dynamics of the Sisingaan Tradition in the Panganten Circumcision Ceremony: A Victor Turner Theoretical Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1557/djash.v3i2.55104Keywords:
sisingaan tradition, panganten sunat, liminality, community, Victor Turner, ritual, cultureAbstract
This study explores the profound cultural and social significance of the sisingaan tradition in the Panganten Sunat ceremony in Cibiru District, Bandung City, Indonesia, through the lens of Victor Turner's ritual theory. Rooted in local customs, this tradition is not merely a form of entertainment but serves as a symbolic ritual of social transition, marking the passage from childhood to adulthood for individuals undergoing circumcision. Using a qualitative approach, the research highlights liminality—a transitional phase in which participants shift in social roles and identities. The findings reveal that the sisingaan tradition fosters an egalitarian sense of community (communitas), breaking down hierarchical barriers and reinforcing social solidarity and cohesion among participants. Through rich symbolic elements such as lion effigies, traditional music, and ceremonial processions, the ritual acts as a vehicle for preserving cultural heritage and strengthening the collective identity of the Cibiru community. The study concludes that the sisingaan tradition serves as both a cultural preservation mechanism and a social tool for teaching values to younger generations. Its contributions extend beyond the ceremonial, highlighting the role of traditional rituals in fostering unity, maintaining cultural integrity, and shaping societal structures.
References
Agung, D. A. G., Nasih, A. M., & Kurniawan, B. (2024). Local wisdom as a model of interfaith communication in creating religious harmony in Indonesia. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100827.
Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and Symbolic Power. Harvard University Press.
Brummett, B. (2022). Rhetoric in popular culture. Sage Publications.
Charmaz, K., Harris, S. R., & Irvine, L. (2019). The social self and everyday life: Understanding the world through symbolic interactionism. John Wiley & Sons.
Creswell. (2016). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Sage publications.
Faiz, F. A. (2024). Understanding Cultural Identity in a Globalized World. Journal of Social Signs Review, 2(01), 10–18.
Hardenberg, R. (2017). From Durkheim to Hocart: Sacred Resources and the Quest for ‘life.’ Durkheimian Studies, 23(1), 40–56.
Hénaff, M. (2017). Claude Lévi-Strauss. Tempus Perrin.
Hidayat, R. (2019). Kearifan Lokal dalam Tradisi Sisingaan. Penerbit Budaya Sunda.
Hidayat, Z. (2019). Kuasa kelas bawah dan" Bisnis Berkah" di makam wali: Narasi Kehidupan Khādim Tarekat.
Ho, L.-C., & Barton, K. C. (2022). Critical harmony: A goal for deliberative civic education. Journal of Moral Education, 51(2), 276–291.
Indrianty, S., & Yuliansah, S. (2023). An Analysis of Sisingaan Performance in Subang From Language Perspective. Barista: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa Dan Pariwisata, 10(01), 106–112.
Istianti, T., Maryani, E., & Maftuh, B. (2022). Traditional wisdom in Cikondang traditional village: A study of Sabilulungan’s value. Jurnal Moral Kemasyarakatan, 7(1), 10–21.
Janke, T. (2005). Managing indigenous knowledge and indigenous cultural and intellectual property. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 36(2), 95–107.
Jenkins, L. D. (2004). Celtic connections:“Celticism” in Scottish music. University of Michigan.
Kibirige, R. (2024). Social wellbeing and community in the processes of musicking and dance. Health and Life Skills through Music, Arts and Culture in Education, 119.
Leong, W. (1989). Culture and the state: Manufacturing traditions for tourism. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 6(4), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295038909366762
Lestaluhu, L., & Dkk. (2022). Analisis Bentuk Penyajian Kesenian Sisingaan Di Sanggar Sinar Saluyu Kampung Ngenol Desa Puspamukti Kecamatan Cigalontang. Jurnal Pendidikan Seni.
Lévi-Strauss, C. (2014). Anthropologie structurale II. Plon.
Li, Q., Subica, A., Kendra, J., & Ali, S. H. (2023). Tradition or modernization? the dilemma of Chinese indigenous communities. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 29(5), 382–397.
López-Calvo, I. (2019). Japanese Brazilian Saudades: Diasporic identities and cultural production. University Press of Colorado.
Mustari, M., & Rahman, M. T. (2012). Pengantar Metode Penelitian. Laksbang Pressindo.
Nesia Mu’asyara, Merhan Merhan, Ria Ulfa, M. Fikri Arfandi, Ajeng Yurike, M. Okan Fattah, Imas Imas, Vindy Agela C.A, & Tarisa Dewi Anggina. (2024). Transformasi Identitas Religius dan Spiritualitas dalam Era Sekularisasi: Perspektif Sosiologi Agama. Concept: Journal of Social Humanities and Education, 3(4), 254–265. https://doi.org/10.55606/concept.v3i4.1678
Nugraha, D. (2019). Makna Ritual Panganten Sunat dalam Perspektif Budaya Sunda. Jurnal Kebudayaan Indonesia.
Pajarianto, H., Pribad, I., & Sari, P. (2022). Tolerance between religions through the role of local wisdom and religious moderation. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 78(4).
Pikri, Z., & Muthmainnah, I. (2024). Hijabi Metal Voice of Baceprot: Discourse on Identity, Gender and Religion in Digital Space/Hijabi Metal Voice of Baceprot: Wacana Identitas, Gender dan Agama di Ruang Digital. Alhadharah: Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah, 23(2), 197–214.
Porras, E. (2020). Music-Making Practices of Cubans of Chinese and African Descent: Creating Alternative Ways of Being and Belonging. University of California, Los Angeles.
Quainoo, C. O. (2022). Symbols on Akan Linguist Staff: Meaning and Moral Implications for the Asante. University of Cape Coast.
Rahman, Y., Noholo, S., & Santoso, I. R. (2019). Konsep Akuntansi Syariah Pada Budaya Mahar. Jurnal Akuntansi Multiparadigma, 10(1), 82–101.
Rahmat, A. (2019). Sejarah dan Perkembangan Seni Tradisional Sunda. Gramedia.
Rukmana, U. (2011). Dampak Kebijakan Kolonial Belanda terhadap Struktur Sosial di Sumedang. Majalah Sejarah Indonesia, 6(2), 78–89.
Salem, V. E. T., Kumakau, G., Kerebungu, F., Mesra, R., & Sidik, S. (2023). Potato Festival (A Study of Thanksgiving in Modoinding Village Communities, Modoinding District). Technium Soc. Sci. J., 49, 24.
Santoso, G., Karim, A. A., & Maftuh, B. (2023). Kajian Wawasan Nusantara melalui Local Wisdom NRI yang Mendunia dan Terampil dalam Lagu Nasional dan Daerah Abad 21. Jurnal Pendidikan Transformatif, 2(1), 197–209.
Shoham, H. (2024). A Moving Feast: The Bar and Bat Mitzvah across Jewish Cultures. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Silver, H. (2007). The process of social exclusion: the dynamics of an evolving concept. Chronic Poverty Research Centre Working Paper, 95.
Sipa Lestari, A., Azzahra, N., Faturohman, M., Al-Munawwar, M. F., & Saefudin, A. (2025). Kesenjangan Sosial antara Kelompok Kaya dan Miskin dalam Akses Pendidikan di Bojongsari Kota Depok [Social Gap between Rich and Poor Groups in Access to Education in Bojongsari, Depok City]. DIKSI: Jurnal Kajian Pendidikan Dan Sosial, 6(4), 738–745. https://doi.org/10.53299/diksi.v6i4.2911 [In Indonesian]
St John, G. (2008). Victor Turner and contemporary cultural performance: An introduction. Victor Turner and Contemporary Cultural Performance, 1–37.
Suganda, D., Wagiati, S. R., & Darmayanti, N. (2018). The Preservation of Local Wisdom in Sundanes Traditional Medicine in West Java, Indonesia. International Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Studies, 5(8), 40–48.
Sumarno, S., & Dewi, S. I. (2021). Kesenian Sisingaan Di Kabupaten Subang. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Humaniora.
Suryana, T. (2020). ransformasi Tradisi Sisingaan di Era Modern. Pustaka Nusantara.
Telaumbanua, P. D. I., Siburian, Y. A., & Lubis, E. H. (2025). Transformasi Spiritualitas dan Implikasi Teologis dalam Gerakan Kharismatik: Fenomena dan Dampaknya. Anugerah: Jurnal Pendidikan Kristiani Dan Kateketik Katolik, 2(1), 11–21.
Turner, B. S. (2001). Cosmopolitan virtue: on religion in a global age. European Journal of Social Theory, 4(2), 131–152.
Turner, V. (1967). The forest of symbols: aspects of Ndembu ritual. Cornell UP.
Turner, V. (1977). Process, system, and symbol: A new anthropological synthesis. Daedalus, 61–80.
Turner, V. (1980). Social dramas and stories about them. Critical Inquiry, 7(1), 141–168.
Turner, V. (1987). Betwixt and between: The liminal period in rites of passage. Betwixt and between: Patterns of Masculine and Feminine Initiation, 3–19.
Turner, V., Abrahams, R., & Harris, A. (2017). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Routledge.
Turner, V. W., & Bruner, E. M. (1986). The anthropology of experience. University of Illinois Press.
Turner, V. W., & Turner, E. L. B. (2011). Image and pilgrimage in Christian culture. Columbia University Press.
Van der Vliet, V. (2024). Growing up in traditional society. In The bantu-speaking peoples of Southern Africa (pp. 211–245). Routledge.
Wijayanti, B., Hidayati, N., & Shodiq, M. (2024). Syncretization of The Grebeg Suro Ritual Through The Planting of Bull Heads to Strengthen Religious Harmony in The Community of Sumbermujur Village. Proceedings of Annual Conference for Muslim Scholars, 8(1), 1174–1184.
Wiradisastra, B. (2021). Sisingaan: Seni, Simbol, dan Perlawanan. Pustaka Adat Sunda.
Wu, J., Ju, L.-H., Lin, P.-H., & Lyu, Y. (2022). The relationship between form and ritual in cultural sustainability. Sustainability, 14(15), 9157.
Yamashita, S. (2003). Bali and beyond: Explorations in the anthropology of tourism (Vol. 2). Berghahn Books.
Yusuf, F. A. (2023). Meta-Analysis: The Influence of Local Wisdom-Based Learning Media on the Character of Students in Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 9(1), 237–248.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).