Ethnographic Study of Ritual Communication in the Slametan Punden Tradition in Duyung Village, Takeran District, Magetan Regency

Abstract

Indonesia has a wealth of culture and traditions. One example is the tradition of Slametan Punden in Duyung Village, Takeran District, Magetan Regency. This tradition is not just a religious ritual, but also a means of sacral and collective communication. But unfortunately, awareness of the communicative meaning contained in Slametan Punden is still limited, both among the local community and outsiders. This research aims to explain communicative situation, communicative event, and communicative action, as well as analyze the symbolic meaning of this tradition. This research is a qualitative study using the ethnographic method of communication. The results of this study indicate that the communicative situation includes the time of the Slametan Punden celebration in the month of Suro in the afternoon, which takes place in the village punden with sacred and warm socio-cultural conditions as an expression of gratitude and respect for ancestors. The communicative event involves all residents with its ritual genre, verbal and nonverbal messages, and norms that affirm togetherness, spirituality, and cultural preservation. The communicative action comprises joint prayer, mutual cooperation, eating together, and the performance of Gambyong Campursari, which involves symbolic interactions to strengthen social solidarity and cultural values. The symbolic meaning of this tradition serves as a medium of cultural and spiritual communication passed down from generation to generation.