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.

TEROWONGAN CASABLANCA - The Legendary Scarriest Tunnel in Indonesia

One of the most scariest urban legend in Indonesia is the legend of Terowongan Casablanca (Casablanca Tunnel) that located in the center of Jakarta. This legend has been told and very popular around 1970's, and become urband legend when it's been made into a movie called Terowongan Casablanca (2007). Today, the

The Center of Casablanca Tunnel

haunted story still frightening everybody, especially people who pass the tunnell in the middle of the night.

So what is the legend say about this tunnell?

THE LOCATION OF CASABLANCA TUNNEL

Casablanca Tunnel is an underpass tunnel that located in Basuki Rahmat Street, near Kunian Area, East Jakarta Region. There is no complete details about the date of the tunnel has been built (judging from the structure of the tunnel, I assumed it's been built somewhere around 1980's). In earlier day, the location of Casablanca Tunnel was a graveyard. The graveyard had been moved to another place, near the tunnel. However, because it was not done in proper way,  the spirits were very upset and disturbing people who come across the tunnel.

The sudden shut-off's vehicles right after enteringCasablanca Tunnel

 

 

 

It's been told that since the tunnel been made and open for public, a lot of strange accidents happen within the tunnel. Some witnesses said that they saw a lady suddenly appeared and accross the street. To avoid it, they stop the car in a sudden that make the series of vehicles' crash.

Other witnesses told that their vehicles's machine suddenly stop in the middle of the tunnel, meanwhile the machine's condition is in good condition.

The legend become much more scarier when someone hang himself at the entrance of the tunnel. The incident happened around end of 90's.

THE RED ROBE LADY

Most of the witnesses who encountered the supernatural accident in Casablanca Tunnel, confirmed that they usually saw a lady in red robe. The lady either only stand still at the edge of the tunnel or suddenly appear and cross-over the street. Nobody ever saw her face.

According to Ki Joko Bodo, one of the most famous Indonesia's paranormal, the lady that people saw was called Kuntilanak Merah (The Red Kuntilanak. You can read about "Kuntilanak" in this link : http://theghost-zone.blogspot.com/2010/04/kuntilanak-revenge-of-beauty.html), the most scariest and fiercest ghost. The legend said that she was a girl who burried alive by her boyfriend after he found out she was pregnant after, they were sleep together. Soon the girl died and turn into The Red Kuntilanak, seeking for revenge.

Kuntilanak... not the real one...

People said that while you are entering the tunnel, if you want to avoid The Red Kuntilanak, honk the tunnel three times. By doing this way, you asked a permission to the spirit to entering "its territory". If you did not honk, either they will suddenly show up or your vehicle's machine will suddenly shut-off. Believe it or not, you should try it for yourself.

Aswang - Evil Vampire Creature

Spanish known this creature since their colonization in Philippines in 16th century. It is the most feared among other mythical creatures of Philippines.

Philippians known Aswang - sometimes called Asuwang - as a combination of vampire and witch. They mostly appeared in female form. But sometimes also appearing as an old man. The legend of Aswang are vary from region to region, so none of the characteristic can be ascribed to the term. Mostly it portrayed as a monster with wings flap loudly when it's far away and quietly wen it's nearer. Aswang has been a very famous, especially in  West Visayan area, such as Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique. In Capiz, Aswang is also called as Tik-Tik or Wak-Wak.

People believed Aswangs living as regular people. As people, they are quiet, shy, and elusive in the day time. Most of them are prefering to take occupations related to meat, such as buthcer. Usually they are isolating themselves from public as well. But in the night time, they transformed into creatures and taking form of animals like pig, bird, cart, and dog. They enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, favoring livers and hearts. They are fast and silent, and some have thin body that can hide themselves behind a bamboo post.

Dealing with Aswang can be done by throwing salt and / or semen at it because people believe it can burn their skin. Another way for dealing with them is to keep a red pouch full of gingers and coins. The ginger's smell will keep hem away, while the coins are used for preventing them from lifting us up.

People also believe that Aswang is fear of bullet, feathers, and canes. Hung garlic on doors and window will beat off Aswang.

Many films about this creature have been made, such as Aswang (1992), a Phillippines movie, starring Almo Moreno, Manilyn Reynes,, Aiza Seguerra, Aljon Jimenez, and directed by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes. The Hollywood version of Aswang creature has been made in 1994 and called The Unearthling.

Mae Naak - The Ghost of A Loyal Wife

One of the well-known ghost-tale from Thailand is Mae Naak. Nobody in Thai does not know Mae Naak or Nang Nak. Some people believe, Mae Naak was really exist and she was born and lived in Phra Khanong, area of Bangkok about 130 years ago, during the period of King Rama IV (1851 - 1868) and died of childbirth complications when she was eighteen years old, which is in the early part of King Rama V's regime (1868 - 1910).

According the legend, Mae Naak (literally "Miss Naak") was a beautiful young woman lived with her husband Nie Mak. When Naak was pregnant, Mak is called off to war. Sadly, when Mak is going for war, Nak and the child she is carrying die during childbirth. When Mak returns home, he finds his loving wife and child waiting for him and nothing wrong with them. What he did not know, her wife and child had turned into spirits. One day, when Naak is preparing phrik nam (fish sauce with lemon, garlic, and chilli), she drops a lime down to the cellar. In her haste, she extends her arm to pick the lemon from the uppon floor through the floor's hole, not knowing Mark saw the whole event. Realized his wife is a ghost, Mak runs away into the night.

Discovering his husband is leaving, Naak pursues him. But Mak conceals himself behind blumea bush (according to Thai folklore, ghosts are afraid of the sticky blumea leaves). After that, Mak runs to Wat Mahabut Temple, where Naak can't enter the holy area.

Angrily, Naak terrorizes the people of Phra Khanong. Eventually, Naak's spirit is bound by a powerful exorcist. After confining her within a earthen jar, he throws it into the canal.

Mae Naak's story is popular and inspires many people to her true love and devotion for Mak. In the Phra Khanong canal , at Wat Mahabut Temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Mae Naak. In the present, the temple can be found in a small side road off Sukhumvit soi 77 (also known as On Nut Road). The shrine consists of a low building under large tress whith a roofing tha encompasses the tree trunks. The main shrine has a number of minor shrines surrounding it. There is a wide fences area around the shrine witha gate towards the Wat Mahabut Temple compound and another more elaborate roofed gate facing the canal.


The legend of Mae Naak has been been the subject of numerous films and television series in Thailand. So far there are three movies (Mae Nak Phra Khanong (1958), Nang Nak (1999), and Ghost of Mae Nak (2005)), 1 animated movie (Nak, 2008), and 1 opera (Mae Naak, 2003 and 2005, composed by Somtow Sucharitkul), and 1 musical show (Maenak Prakanong the Musical, 2009, directed by Takonkiet Viravan and starring Myria Benedetti) have been produced to tell the tales of this scary but romantic legend.

Suster Ngesot - Scary Sliding Nurse

One of the modern scariest tales that spread from mouth to mouth is The Tales of Suster Ngesot (The Sliding  Nurse). No one know who start the tales and how did the story happened, this tale has become well-known in every hospital in Indonesia. People believe there is at least one of Suster Ngesot in each hospital (frankly speaking, I have been in staying in hospital recently but never meet this kind of spirit).

The tale is starting sometimes in the end of 1980s. There are a lot of variant of the tales. One of the most scariest tale about Suster Ngesot is that she was a nurse in one public hospital and having affair with one of well-known doctor in the hospital. One day the nurse told the doctor that she was pregnant and want the doctor to responsible. But the doctor - who had a family already - refused. He asked the nurse to do abortion. But she would like to keep the baby. Angrily, the doctor murder the nurse and mutilated her. Some part of her body been buried in the ground of the hospital and her legs been thrown to other place. Since then, people claimed often saw a nurse sliding at the alley of the hospital looking for her legs.

Another famous versions of this tales is about the mass-massacre of nurses that been made during the occupation of Holland to Indonesia in 1950s. At that time, many volunteering nurses - whose helping Indonesian soldiers - had been murdered and mutilated by Hollands soldiers. Some says, the nurses were came back from their dead to settled their work and help injure soldiers. Since the war was over - and the spirits did not know about it - they hanged around in the hospital looking for the soldiers that need their help.

This modern ghost-tales has drag attention of some producers in Indonesia. Many movies about this spirit have been made and overall got a very good response from local viewers.

Pocong - The Trapped Soul of The Dead

One of the popular entity that have been haunted people in Indonesia for many years are Pocong. In Malaysia, it's been known as Hantu Bungkus (Wrapped Ghost). Pocong is believed to be the soul of the dead people that trapped in their pocong suit (shroud).

In Muslim traditions, people who died will be covered by pocong suit. Pocong suit is a white fabric that will covered dead body, then being tied over the head, under the feet and on the neck. According to their beliefs, the soul of the dead person will stay on earth for 40 days after their death. When the ties are not released after 40 days, the body will jump out from the grave to warn people that the soul need the bonds to be released. Once the ties are released, the soul will be free and leave the earth. Because the tie under the feet, it makes the spirit can't walk and only do their movement by hopping.

In modern culture, some people said that they can see pocong's face. It described as green face with empty eyes. Some other said that Pocong has flat face with pale skin. Basically, Pocong does not harm people. Its only appear and cry for help to somebody to untied the tie on their shroud. However, because of its appearance that really scary, most people usually run after encounter one of it.