Discover Glagah: Gelar Songo and Gelar Pitu

Glagah is best discovered through its village festivals and the ways in which prayer, processions, music, and art come together. Gelar Songo and Gelar Pitu are two distinct occasions with different proceedings. For families interested in regional rituals and communal celebrations, they offer a specific cultural focus. If these festivals are the deciding factor in your trip, make Glagah the focus of your search for a vacation rental.

Gelar Songo: a festival with its own traditions

Residents of Desa Glagah celebrate Gelar Songo every year on the ninth day of the month of Suro in the Javanese calendar. The village festival includes nine different types of tumpeng. Gelar Songo also includes a Quran recitation and visits to the graves of Buyut Ka’i and Buyut Gingsring. The festival program also features competitions in Wangsalan and Banasan, as well as an art performance. Buyut Ka’i and Buyut Gingsring are regarded as ancestors who are said to have cleared the land for the first settlement of what is now Desa Glagah.

The 2023 edition is described as a five-day Gelar Songo program that began with Mocoan Lontar Yusuf.

Gelar Pitu: devotion, a village procession, and a communal meal

Gelar Pitu begins with Ruwatan, a nighttime devotional event with prayers and art performances. Wayang Kulit was performed in the past; Burdah has since replaced this art form as an adaptation to the times. During the Ider-Bumi procession, participants walk around the village carrying Kopat Gunggung, accompanied by gamelan music and Barong.

Othek also brings together gamelan and Barong, but in a different form: the performance combines an alu, a rice mortar, with a Barong dance. In this way, a village procession and a performance stand side by side as distinct cultural forms. The comparison illustrates how the same named accompanying elements appear in different Glagah traditions.

Elements of Gelar Pitu described for 2025 include the Mendak-Tirto procession with Mojo Putri: adolescent girls dressed in kebaya and white batik fabric. After the procession, residents share Kopat Lepet, which has been blessed beforehand. The described proceedings end with a contest for Kopat Gunggung. Residents try to obtain woven kopat containing money; these are regarded as symbols of blessing and are said to ward off misfortune.

Banyuwangi: further cultural highlights

In the wider Banyuwangi destination, Desa Wisata Adat Osing Kemiren preserves the customs, language, and traditional art of the Osing community. During the harvest season, women perform Gedhogan there: they strike mortars and pestles, accompanied by angklung and drums. This tradition adds a distinct musical note alongside Glagah’s festival forms.

In Kemiren, visitors can also learn how to prepare traditional coffee. The beans are pounded, roasted, and sifted, then the coffee is served. Traditionally, the beans are roasted in a pan over a clay stove. If this hands-on experience interests you, confirm availability with local hosts.

Discover more destinations: Tulungagung, Prigen, Bago, Karangjati, Balong, Pamekasan, Sidoarjo Regency, Singosari.

For the wider travel overview: East Java.