The Mystical Malam Selasa Kliwon & Malam Jumat Kliwon

If most people in Europe and United States believed that Friday the 13th is the most scariest night,  in Indonesia, most people (especially Javanese) are afraid of Monday & Thursday night in Kliwon cycle. For some people, those nights are the scariest nights due to some urban legends mentioned about frequent ghost appearances during that time. Some other thought that nights are very good nights to do supernatural rituals and spiritual ceremonies.

Why Monday & Thursday night? And what the meaning of "Kliwon cycle"?

THE HISTORY
In Java Island, some people - especially Javanese people - have their own exclusive calendar called Kalender Jawa (Javanese Calendar). It is a calendar that made as the result of the blending among Islam culture, Hinduism - Buddhism culture, traditional Java, and western culture. The Javanese Calendar contains multiple, overlapping separate measurements of times, called cycles, in which consist of : the five day cycle called Pasaran, the common Gregorian seven-day week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and so on), the month-cycles of Mangsa and Wulan month-long cycles, the year cycles called Tahun, and the octo-ennia (8 year) cycles called Windu.

The calendar was inaugurated by Sultan Agung of Mataram in the Gregorian year 1633.

THE TERMS OF TIME
In Indonesia, people called the seven-day week as below :
1. Monday : Senin
2. Tuesday : Selasa
3. Wednesday : Rabu
4. Thursday : Kamis
5. Friday : Jumat
6. Saturday : Sabtu
7. Sunday : Minggu

Pasaran Cycle : literally Pasaran means "market place". The terms came from the regular time of villagers gathering in local market to meet socially, engage in commerce, buying and selling wares, produce, foods, etc. Usually they are gathering for five days (Monday - Friday), and take a rest for two days. As its name, Pasaran Cycle is consisting five days that divided into days as follow :
1. Legi (means in Javanese : Manis / Sweet)
2. Pahing (Pait / Bitter)
3. Pon (Petak / Partition)
4.Wage (Cemeng / Ugly or dirty)
5. Kliwon (Asih / Love)

In addition, Javanese consider those days' names to have a mystical relation to colors and cardinal direction :
1. Legi represents White and East
2. Pahing represents Red and South
3. Pon represents Yellow and West
4. Wage represents Black and North
5. Kliwon represents Blurred Colors and Center

THE SACRED NIGHTS
Based on Javanese believed, there are two nights which they considered as sacred nights, and there are Monday night in Kliwon Cycle and Thursday Night in Kliwon Cycle. (In normal practice, Indonesian usually call a night name as "the night before". For example, when they said Malam Selasa - which is actually referring to Monday night - it means "the night before Tuesday".)

In the past, based on Islam tradition, Monday and Thursday night time are good time for praying and worshiping God. They choose the night in Kliwon cycle because Kliwon represent "love".
In the past, most kids did not like to pray and prefer to play till very late at night. To make their children willing to pray, most parents set up some fake ghost stories that relating to those night. According to the stories, Ghosts and evil spirts will come out from their graves on Monday and Thursday night of Kliwon and hunt down every lazy children whose do not like to pray to God. After the stories spread, most children were become diligent and love to go to mosque at night for praying.

It turned out those fake ghost stories from the past become Urban Legend in the present. People believe that ghosts and evil spirits really appear on those times. To make the legend become more terrified, some people who believe in supernatural power usually choose those days to practice their rituals. Some spiritual ceremonies mostly also been held in those times. Although the point of the practices and ceremonies are ask blessing and the expression of the worshippers' love, but for most people "Malam Selasa Kliwon" & "Malam Jumat Kliwon" have become sacred nights that should be avoided or assumed "cursed". Even some fanatic believers choose not to do anything during those days and prefer to postpone or cancel everything.

Among those days, "Malam Jumat Kliwon" is the scariest night, because there is a mouth-to-mouth story (based on Islam tradition) said that on that night, ghosts and evil spirits are gaining their optimum power to kill humans. And they will kill as much as possible, before dawn. Because when the dawn came, it is the time for God to punished them all and put them back to hell again. (This story had connection with the tradition of Islam people that worship Friday as Good Friday).

Many movie makers have using the myth of the sacred of Kliwon's Thursday Night as movie objects. Since 1970s until today, there are more than 20 movies that use that kind of title or any title that have connection with that night to attract audiences. So far, it works and most of them are blockbusters.

Kuntilanak - The Revenge of The Beauty

One of the most popular ghost story, folklore, and mythology in Indonesia is Kuntilanak. Until today, Kuntilanak is the most scariest ghost because it can kills her victim (usually men) brutally. In the past, people believe Kuntilanak only appeared in Thursday Night (Malam Jumat) and her power became more powerful if that night is mark as "Kliwon" night (based on the Javanese' calender). At that night, people prefer stayed at home and have no dare to go out after sunset. But in the present, people believe Kuntilanak is appearing every night and only haunted men who cheated their lovers or rapers.

There are several legend about the appearance of Kuntilanak. The popular legend about Kuntilanak is that she was a pregnant woman whose been raped by some guys and left in the jungle. The woman died after that and became undead, seeking revenge for the people who rape her.

Another legend tells that women who died during childbirth will became the undead Kuntilanak and living among people she loves to protect them. If somebody try to disturb her family, it will appeared and kill them brutally. Kuntilanak itself means "perempuan yang bati beranak" (she who has died in childbirth).

Kuntilanak usually disguises itself as a beautiful young woman and usually attract its victims. Its presence usually can be detected by "kembang kamboja" (Plumeria, a nice floral fragnance), followed by an awful stench afterward. Sometimes it laugh with scarcely and loud sound before appear in front of its victim. Another way to detect its present is listening to the barking of dogs. Dogs that barked with no reason or whining, usually indicated that Kuntilanak is close. But if they howling, it means Kuntilanak is far away.  

In its true appearance, Kuntilanak usually described as a beautiful woman in pale face and long black hair, wore a long white dress. Kuntilanak did not walk but mostly slide. That's why in Indonesia,  if  people met a nice young  lady walk alone at night, it is common if the first thing they look is the feet of the lady. If it is hold still on the ground, it means they met a true human. But if not touch the ground, then it is possible they just met a Kuntilanak.

A Kuntilanak usually kills its victims by digging into their stomachs with its sharp fingernails and devouring their organs. Sometimes she hold the organs and let its victims to watch their own organs till they die.

The legend of Kuntilanak has became very popular. Since 1970 till today, there are more than 100 movies that made based on this folklore. Malaysia has similar versions of this folklore and they called it as Pontianak, Matianak, or Buntianak

Another version of Kuntilanak legend is Sundel Bolong. The story is similar. The different is : Sundel Bolong has a hole at its back (literally in Javanese dialect, Sundel Bolong means "hole at the back").

So one day, when you visit Indonesia and you notice a very beautiful girl, with long hair, wore a very nice dress, and walk alone at night, pay attention to her step and her back. If she was flown and she has a very big bloody hole at her back..... RUN FOR YOUR LIFE.....!!!!