Belimau

The Belimau bath is a Malay Indonesian tradition, observed in order to welcome the month of Ramadan, especially in Bangka Belitung and Riau provinces.^[1] The tradition has been carried down for generations among the Minangkabau people before Islam arrived in Indonesia, as they were praciticing Hinduism, whereby this ceremony could have been inspired by Makara Sankranti.^[2][3]

Belimau consists of washing or bathing for physical and spiritual purification using limau water.^[4]

In the Pacific Islands, the Belimau tradition ended about 300 years ago, but it was revived around 2006.^[5] Since then, local governments have promoted the Belimau bath tradition as a part of religious tourism.^[2] The Belimau Bath ceremony is held once a year, one week before Ramadan.^[6]

See also

• Ramadan in Indonesia
• Islam in Indonesia

References

1. "Mandi Belimau Gaya SPA Melayu Tempo Dul". Bappeda.Pekanbaru.go.id. Archived from the original on 19 March 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
2. "Tradisi unik Belimau bukan sekadar mandi massal jelang Ramadhan" [The unique "Belimau" tradition is not just a mass bathing ahead of Ramadan]. Antara Riau. 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
3. Suroyo, Suroyo; Putra, Bima Maulana; Ibrahim, Bedriati (2021-09-30). "Cultural Belief of Petang Megang Ritual with Self Actualization on Malay Community, Pekanbaru City-Riau". Udayana Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (UJoSSH). 5 (2): 64. doi:10.24843/UJoSSH.2021.v05.i02.p01. ISSN 2621-9107.
4. Andri, Alfath. "Petang Belimau, Tradisi Melayu Riau Menyucikan Diri Sambut Ramadan" [Belimau Evening, Riau's Malay Tradition of Purifying One's Own to Celebrate Ramadan]. IDN Times (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-05-19.
5. "Tradisi Mandi Belimau: Digelar Menjelang Ramadhan". Indosiar.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
6. Zandiana, Elvi (2011-08-05). "'Balimau': A fading tradition | The Jakarta Post". Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2024-05-19.