It starts with a kenduri (ritual gathering with meals and religious prayers), attended by neighbors. Its leader sits cross-legged on a wooden pestle for pounding rice, representing the removal of evils and disasters, and the woman have a seat at the side of the gathering.
Among the uba rampe (offerings) served on the occasion are traditional snacks, red and white rice pudding (reflecting physical strength), and two yellow-hulled coconuts bearing the pictures of wayang (shadow puppet) figures, the famous pair Arjuna and Sumbadra.
This pair symbolizes the parents' hope for the appearance and traits of their coming baby: if it is a boy, he should be handsome and chivalrous like Arjuna and if a girl, she should be beautiful and faithful like Sumbadra.
Java, the heart of the Indonesian Republic. An Orientation to the Culture and Traditions of Java.