Photographs & Words by Kurniadi Widodo

Some frames from last Saturday, was shooting Grebeg Maulud in Kraton Yogyakarta. It's an annual event celebrating the birth of prophet Muhammad. Though I have been living here for the last six and a half year, gotta admit this was the first time I went to the event... my inexperience proved to be a major disadvantage. Not knowing anything about when and where a particular part of the event would be taking place made it difficult for me to be on the right spot. Basically, if you're on the wrong place at a time when something is happening someplace else, you're screwed. There's no way you could get to that place fast. Not when this much people are blocking your way:



....Yes, there was that many people. That was some time around the afternoon, sadly when the peak moment was about to happen, which was when people went crazy and forced their way to get a piece of the gunungan that was brought out from the kraton, which is said to bring fortune.

So yeah, to put it simple I missed this year's Grebeg Maulud moment. Awh, well, perhaps next year.

There were some interesting shots from the morning though, around the time when the colorful soldiers made a preparation for the event.



Lil' soldier, lil' gun.


I like the light on this one.


Another half-a-soldier.



There's not a single hint of it in these frames, but the fact is there was so many other photographers around the area. A lot more than what I saw during the Tawur Agung a couple weeks ago. Most with really expensive looking gears (I actually spotted one with an M8...). Yet I found it funny that most only seem to go after the same kind of pictures from similar angles.


Moving on to the next spot.


Hipshot. Overexposed, bah.


The soldiers are on the move again. They walked so slow, I had to use 1/4th to make a panning of this guy.


The group who would take the gunungan (that big cone-shaped thing) to Masjid Agung to be given to people.


Another overexposed frame though I captured this from the finder. I guess the heat kinda got into me. But I like the randomness of this frame, and especially of course that granny who holds the pole, dunno what she's thinking.

Last two frames from the city square where I got stuck. Lotsa kids being carried on their parent's shoulder to get a better view, though I really doubt they could see anything given the distance.



Oh, and today's Mita and Metty's birthday. Happy birthday, girls!