Contesting Javanese traditions

This article focuses on the cultural politics of the invention and revival of public traditions. By drawing on the ethnographic example of a kirab budaya (cultural parade) in Kota Gede, a historic area of Yogyakarta, it shows the complex renegotiations and discursive tension connected to religious spectacles in contemporary Java. This article understands popularised traditions as reflections of the current dynamics between Islamisation, policymaking, and a culture open to diverse negotiations and individual interpretation. The conclusion of this study is that commodifying local religious rituals as tourist events for economic reasons make them acceptable in an increasingly Islamised environment.