Dancers will even wear replicas of the dish on their necklaces and tanjak – headgear made from folded traditional songket cloth.
Kesenian Tedja Timur – translated literally as Rainbow of Arts from the East – is one of Singapore’s oldest professional kuda kepang troupes.
The group traces its origins back to 1948, the year kuda kepang performances were first documented on the island. The art form was introduced here by Javanese immigrants.
Since 2001, the group has been led by Mr Iswandiarjo Wismodiarjo, a fifth-generation member of the group, which has performed at the Esplanade as well as overseas.
The 42-year-old estimates that there are as many as 45 kuda kepang troupes with about 1,400 members across Singapore, though only about 20 groups are currently active.
Also known by other names such as kuda lumping, kuda kepang is a traditional Javanese dance in which performers “ride” flat wooden or woven horses and are accompanied by a gamelan ensemble.
The origins of the traditional Javanese dance are not known, though Mr Iswandiarjo traces its history back to stories about Dewi Songgolangit and Klono Sewandono – mythical figures in East Javanese folk tales.
Other theories root it in re-enactments of Javanese rebellion against Dutch colonial forces or the retelling of tales of the Wali Songo, the nine saintly figures attributed with spreading Islam in the Indonesian archipelago.
CONTROVERSIAL
However, the practice is not without controversy.
Though once a mainstay of communal occasions such as weddings and circumcisions among Malay-Muslims in Singapore, the appearance of kuda kepang at such events has become more infrequent in recent decades, amid objections raised by religious authorities here.
After videos of a performance by Kesenian Tedja Timur in mid-2024 went viral online, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) issued an advisory reiterating its position that some of the elements associated with kuda kepang – such as going into a trance, the invocation of spirits and the chewing and eating of glass – are “non-Islamic practices”.
“These elements are against the teachings of Islam and must be avoided by Muslims at all times,” Muis said in social media posts in July 2024.
Mr Iswandiarjo – who is also president of Kuda Kepang Singapura, an umbrella group for kuda kepang practitioners here – does not deny the art form’s association with the supernatural.
However, he said that since 2008, a conscious effort has been made to disassociate kuda kepang here from its more mystical aspects and to focus instead on its cultural elements.
‘Stunt’ work
Similar to stunt work in movies, practice and special techniques are used to more safely perform feats such as stepping on glass or being whipped – traditionally attributed to strength gained by spirit possession – while still wowing audiences.
“As long as you can convince the audience that you are in a trance, you win the game,” Mr Iswandiarjo said.
Yet, some have raised concerns about divorcing kuda kepang from its mystical elements.
DEBATABLE
An October 2024 article in The Karyawan magazine, published by self-help group AMP Singapore, said this separation reflected the tension between cultural preservation and modernisation.
Such moves raise questions about “what is being preserved when the essence of the tradition is adapted to align with modern context”, the article said.
Mr Iswandiarjo, however, is unperturbed by such concerns over whether the dance remains authentic without its spiritual aspects.
Kuda kepang is not just about going into a trance, and performances such as the one at the Chingay parade are aimed at slowly changing people’s mindsets of what the art form is about, he added.