Preservation of the Sea Alms Tradition at Teluk Penyu in Cilacap Regency: A Site Study

Abstract

Cilacap is a coastal area on the southern coast of Java with several beaches, one of which is Teluk Penyu Beach, where the traditional sea alms tradition is held annually. The tradition started with the 3rd Cilacap Regent Tumenggung Tjakrawerdaya III ordering an elder Pandanarang fisherman named Ki Arsa Menawi to threw offerings into the south sea along with other fishermen on Friday Kliwon in the Javanese month of Sura 1875. Since then, the custom of throwing offerings into the sea, with the term almsgiving ceremony, has been a tradition. The objectives of this study were: 1) to describe the history and procession of the traditional sea alms ceremony, and 2) to analyze the influence of the development of the Turtle Bay beach tourism object on the socio-economic conditions of the surrounding community. This type of research was qualitative with a phenomenological design. Key informants were traditional caretakers or stakeholders, while complementary informants were management, community representatives, and visitor representatives. Data collection techniques used were observation, documentation, and interviews. In contrast, data analysis techniques used interactive models of Miles and Huberman, including data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion, with the validity of the data verified using triangulation. It could be concluded that the fishing community on the coast of Teluk Penyu beach Cilacap Regency still maintains the tradition of sea alms as a manifestation of gratitude for the fish caught and requests prayers for the safety and abundance of fish caught the following year.