The tab’ glëe nyucng (also written tob glëe nyucng) was the Achehnese ceremony of the piercing of the ears of girls, performed in their seventh or tenth year. The rite was restricted to the “open season of the year” (musem lidah blang)—the period between harvest and ploughing—because it was believed that if it was done during the “narrow” or “closed” season (musem piche blang), the holes in the ears would have a tendency to contract. Neglect to fulfil a vow made with reference to the feast of ear-boring was considered likely to result in the complete splitting of the ear-lobe.
The procession to a holy tomb
It was only the very poor who had this operation performed at home, inviting but few guests to witness the ceremony. It was more usual to take the girl in procession to a neighbouring holy tomb, so that the saint’s blessing might rest upon the act. This was done even when the mother had made no vow with reference to the piercing of her daughter’s ears. But it seldom happened that the mother had not made some such ka’oy (vow), the most customary being that the ceremony should take place at the tomb of some famous saint, such as Teungku Anjong or Teungku di Kuala.
On such an occasion both men and women of the gampong were invited in great numbers, and a procession was formed to the sacred spot, escorted if possible by the gampong authorities (keuchi’ and teungku) and with the two traditional drums (geundrang) and a flute (saruné) leading the van. After the leubè’s had recited some passages from the Qur’an, followed by the customary prayers, an animal was slaughtered and a kanduri held.
The operation and the cooling
The woman whose task it was to bore the ears began with the usual precautions against evil influences. Invoking the name of Allah, she scattered breu’eh padé (husked and unhusked rice) over the child, and besprinkled her with a besom formed of the three “cooling” plants, which she dipped in flour and water (teupong taweue). Finally, both she and the other old women who were present at the ceremony rubbed yellow glutinous rice behind the ears (peusunteng) of the young maiden. The expert then bored the holes with a thorn or a golden needle.
Connection with the agricultural calendar
The restriction of the tab’ glëe nyucng to the musem lidah blang placed it in the same category as the setting-up of tombstones (peulapat hareuë) and the burning of lime (peut gapu)—all of which were forbidden during the musem piche or “closed season.” It was generally believed that the rice of a whole field would be spoilt if tombstones were erected on the graves of departed relatives, or lime burnt in its neighbourhood, during the period between seedtime and harvest; and similarly that the holes in the ears would never attain the breadth desired by Achehnese women if made while the ground was “narrow” or “closed.” The agricultural calendar thus imposed its rhythm upon the rites of childhood as upon every other department of Achehnese life.
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.