The Geundrang procession is an Achehnese religious ceremony in which the two great drums called geundrang and the flute (srune) are marched at the head of a procession escorting a child to the tomb of a saint, in fulfilment of a vow. C. Snouck Hurgronje treats it in The Achehnese as the most public form of the vows (kaoy) made by parents on behalf of their sick children, and as one of the most usual kinds of binaran — the Achehnese term for an outstanding vow or obligation on a child.
The Vow and Its Occasion
The peutron (literally “descent”) is the ceremony in which a child is brought into contact with the earth for the first time outside the house. Ordinarily the infant is carried to a neighbouring holy tomb (kubu kramat) — such tombs are to be found in the neighbourhood of almost every gampong — and there, at the grave, its head is solemnly washed (srah ulee) either by the keeper of the tomb or by the women of the family. Flowers and incense are offered to the dead, and a piece of white cloth is brought to renew or add to the coverings of the tombstones (salab batée).
Where the parents have vowed at the sickbed of the child — when it has not yet been “brought down” — that, in the event of its recovery, they will not merely bring it to the nearest holy tomb but will take it on a pilgrimage to the resting-place of one of the great saints of Acheh, such as the renowned Teungku di Kuala Abdora’oh, the saint of Singkel, or the holy Sayyid Teungku Anjong buried in Gampong Jawa, the child is escorted to the sacred spot by a great procession of men and women, cattle are slaughtered, and a feast is given at the tomb. Where the vow further includes the expression of an intention to head the procession with geundrang, the two drums (geundrang) and the flute (srune) are marched in front.
The Drums and the Music
The geundrang are the great drums of Achehnese ceremonial music, played in pairs, and the srune is the conical oboe that accompanies them. The combination of the two is the customary accompaniment of processions of state and of religion, and its presence at the head of a peutron transforms the simple family rite into a public pageant. It sometimes happens that, when the time of the peutron arrives, the means of fulfilling the vow are momentarily lacking. In that case, the “descent” of the child takes place simply in the manner described above, and the fulfilment of the vow remains a debt to be discharged as soon as possible.
The Binaran
The non-fulfilment of a vow is regarded by the Achehnese as apt to be attended by disastrous consequences. If a child suffers from persistent ulcers on its head, ears, or eyes, or is slow in recovering from an illness, or suffers for an unusual length of time from the effects of circumcision, people say: “That child has a binaran” — which means either that a vow has been made in its behalf and remains unfulfilled, or that one of those feasts or ceremonies which are generally the subjects of vows should be held for its benefit. The most usual kinds of binaran are the procession to the tomb with geundrangs and the presentation to the child of a peculiar garment of many colours (ija planggi).
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.