Aesthetics of Male Wedding Attire in the Panggak Adat Ceremony of Kota Baru Village, Riau: A Nusantara Aesthetics Perspective

This study aims to analyze the aesthetics of men’s wedding attire in the Panggak Adat ceremony in Kota Baru Village, Rakit Kulim Subdistrict, Indragiri Hulu Regency, Riau, through the perspective of Nusantara Aesthetics. Traditional attire is understood not merely as a material object with an aesthetic function, but as a cultural artifact that embodies symbolic, religious, and social values. The study employs a descriptive qualitative approach with a cultural aesthetics perspective. Data were collected through direct observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation of the Panggak Adat ceremony, involving traditional leaders, cultural practitioners, and community members knowledgeable about the tradition. Data analysis employed an interactive model comprising data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Interpretation was conducted using A.A.M. Djelantik’s aesthetic concepts—which encompass form, substance, and appearance and was further reinforced by the principles of Estetika Nusantara. The research findings show that the groom’s attire in the Panggak Adat ceremony consists of a white robe, a black suit, a black tie, a white cap, a white turban, a headband or headwrap adorned with gold, sunglasses, and black shoes. Each visual element carries aesthetic and symbolic meanings related to purity, religiosity, authority, responsibility, and traditional honor. This attire also serves as a marker of social status transformation specifically, a man’s transition from bachelor to husband through traditional recognition. Based on these findings, this study proposes the concept of “Transitional Aesthetics”an aesthetic mechanism that enables cultural artifacts to function symbolically in the process of change and the legitimization of an individual’s social identity. This concept expands the field of Nusantara Aesthetics by demonstrating that aesthetic objects serve not only as representations of beauty and cultural symbols but also as instruments of social transformation.