Knowing More 8 Indonesian Batik Patterns and Their Meanings
- VoxPop.co.id/ Dody Handoko
Jakarta – The National Batik Day is celebrated every October 2. Batik has been designated as a Humanitarian Heritage for Oral and Intangible Culture by UNESCO (2009), so it’s no wonder that batik has become one of Indonesian worldwide cultural heritages.
The interesting fact is that each region in Indonesia is characterized by different batik patterns. Each batik motif has its meaning and philosophical value. Both are based on the beliefs and culture of each region.
So, here's the explanation about the philosophical meaning of Batik patterns, as quoted from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy page on Monday.
1. Parang Batik
Motif batik parang
- Istimewa
The Batik Parang pattern is one of the classic batik patterns that are widely used. Shaped like waves, this pattern has the meaning of a struggle in life, which resembles the sea waves hitting a reef.
People who use this batik motif are expected to continue to struggle and never give up in facing life’s challenges.
Batik Parang has 6 types of patterns, namely Parang Rusak, Parang Barong, Parang Kusumo, Parang Kecil, Parang Slobog, and Parang Klitik. This pattern has its peculiarities, especially the Parang Barong pattern, which can only be used by the high family.
2. Kawung Batik
Batik Kawung
- flickr
The kawung motif as a symbol of life that has a deep meaning, this pattern is synonymous with its round shape resembling kawung fruit, or palm fruit arranged geometrically.
In Javanese culture, this geometrically arranged kawung motif is interpreted as a symbol of human life. In other words, this batik motif reminds humans not to forget their origins.
3. Sekar Jagad Batik
Batik Sekar Jagad
- flickr
Sekar Jagad motif as a symbol of beauty, it’s originating from the Solo and Yogyakarta areas, Sekar Jagad is a traditional batik motif that is full of philosophical values. This is taken from the word "kar" which means map in Dutch, and "jagad" which means world in Javanese.
