THE FORM, MEANING, AND FUNCTION OF THE HARVESTING CEREMONY (NEH-ANEH) AS A LOCAL WISDOM HERITAGE OF THE MADURESE ETHNICS IN GRESIK

Abstract

The neh-aneh ceremony (Madurese language: harvesting rice) is a form of gratitude by the villagers for the rice grains that have begun to turn yellow and for the rice in the fields. It is the time to be picked or harvested. The neh-aneh ceremony is one of the stages in the process that previously preceded by the keleman ritual. This research was taken because the process of preserving local wisdom in the village community. This tradition has gradually begun to be displaced due to the decreasing agricultural land, and one of the causes of the reduction of agricultural land. The field was changed into housing development in village areas, which impacts the narrowness of rice fields. The purpose of this study is to describe the forms, meanings, and functions of the lexicon neh-aneh. This research used a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. Data collection techniques were carried out through observation and interviews with traditional leaders and local communities. The study used semiotic theory to examine the form, meaning and forms that emerge from preparation until the completion of the implementation of neh-aneh ritual. The research results show that the lexical forms of neh-aneh ceremonies using media from nature and offerings passed down through generations have different forms, meanings, and functions as a heritage of the ancestors' local wisdom that must be properly maintained and preserved.