PAWAI OGOH-OGOH DAN NYEPI DI PULAU SERIBU MASJID: PENGUATAN IDENTITAS AGAMA DI RUANG PUBLIK

The Indonesian government recognizes   six  official  religions:  Islam,  Christianity, Catholicism,  Hinduism,  Buddhism,  and Confucianism,  manifested  in  the  way  the government sets up public holidays based on important religious events. It also guarantees freedom of religious expression for different believers to behave according to what they believe,  as  stipulated  in  the  article  29  of the  1945 Constitution  of  the  Republic  of Indonesia.  Government’s  recognition  upon three  types  of  New  Year  event:  Hijriya  for Muslims, Saka for Hindu-Balinese, and Imlek for Chinese as annual holiday marks further the notion of religious pluralism in Indonesia. This paper focuses on the Ogoh-Ogoh ritual as an integral part of Nyepi (the day of seclusion) which since 1983 has been legalized by the Presidential  Decree  Number  3  as  national holiday. The Hindu communities, living in Bali and Lombok, celebrate this annual ritual event as part of exhibiting their religious commitment andeffort of maintaining identity. The main issues elaborated here include firstly, on the dynamics of the Hindu-Balinese minority of Lombok in preserving their religious tradition amidst  the  majority  of  the  Sasak  Muslims. Secondly, the Sasak Muslims’ response toward the Ogoh-Ogoh display which has, to some extent,  taken  some  of  the  most  strategic public space of Mataram-capital city of NTB province,  and  influenced  the  surrounding social  atmosphere.  Thirdly,  the  way  the minority Muslims in Bali deal with regional policy and regulation regarding to Nyepi. This discussion discloses the nature of relationship between Hindu-Balinese and Muslims in Bali, and between the Sasak Muslims and Hindu-Balinese in Lombok. It seems that a mutually partial  tolerance  between  these  groups  are slightly  developed  by means  of  the  Ogoh-Ogoh and Nyepi.