The Meaning of Philosophy of Sego Berkat: an Anthropological Linguistics Study

Sego berkat ‘rice of blessing’ is one of the most common types of delivery rice in Javanese society. Sego berkat can be used for various purposes, especially for salvation. This study aims to describe the philosophical meaning of sego berkat with an anthropological linguistic approach using a contextual design. Sego berkat is a symbol of asking for blessings to God. Data collection refers to the technique of note-taking, participatory observation, and interviews. The results of this study prove that sego berkat has a philosophical meaning that is in accordance with the values of local Javanese wisdom. Sego berkat contains a strong Javanese philosophy. In one sego berkat container consisting of rice, side dishes, vegetables, snacks, etc. contains a message to share sustenance. Sego berkat is a symbol of solidarity between citizens as a manifestation of the values of hastha behavior or the eight noble values held by the Javanese. These values include (1) tepa selira ‘tolerance’, (2) welas asih ‘love for others’, (3) andhap asor ‘humble, not arrogant’, (4) grapyak semanak ‘friendly and sociable’, (5) gotong royong ‘voluntarily cooperated’, (6) guyub rukun ‘harmonious and far from conflict’, (7) ewuh pekewuh ‘feeling shy’, and (8) saling pangerten ‘understanding each other’. Sego berkat to be able to break the deadlock of community communication that is separated by caste differences and social status gaps.