The Life Harmonization Philosophy In Wearing Beskap

Beskap, the traditional clothes from Surakarta (Solo city), Middle Java Province

When you're asking about Javanese culture, most of Indonesian will refer to batik, traditional dances, tradition in Kejawen (Javanese culture), or Javanese elegant traditional clothes such as Kebaya and Beskap which usually worn in Javanese wedding ceremony. This article will focus on Javanese traditional cloth for male, Beskap.

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Beskap is one of the traditional clothes that show life philosophy that be taught in Javanese culture and custom. Actually, Beskap is come from Dutch language vocabulary Beschaafd which means civilized. Beskap was designed by Dutchman in order to show the original cloth design for Surakarta community. It’s because Mataram Kingdom had conflict and divided into two group, Kraton Surakarta and Kraton Yogyakarta. Since Kraton Surakarta didn’t have their own design for their clothes so that they made Beskap.
Source: https://tirasennawedding.blogspot.com/2014/04/perbedaan-busana-adat-antara-jogjakarta.html

THE PHILOSOPHY OF WEARING BESKAP

Beskap isn’t only traditional clothes for formal events or just for fashion. There’s philosophy behind it. In kejawen teachings (Javanese culture teachings), we have to have harmonization in our life, whether it’s in work, human relationship, spirituality, and habit. That harmonization can be seen from how Javanese society wear Beskap. To wear Beskap, there are a lot of items such as:

1.     Prada cloth

2.    Stagen

3.    Timang

4.    Beskap’s coat

5.    Blankon

6.    Sandals

7.    Keris

Those items must be worn according to the order to show the life harmonization philosophy in Kejawen teachings. That’s the art of wearing Beskap.

HOW TO WEAR BESKAP

Now let me show you how to wear Beskap according to the order:

1.    Wear prada cloth as the bottom. Put the left side of cloth inside first, then the right side  in outside

Open Prada Cloth to the right and left

Put the left side of the cloth inside 

The right side of the cloth is in outside

2.  Cover with Stagen. In here, we have two stagens, the white color for inside, and red color with batik motive for outside.

Roll the white stagen first in your waist to hold prada cloth so that it won't dropped. Roll it like taping

Then tie the red stagen with batik motive for outside. Roll it again same as white stagen

3.   Tie the stagen with timang (belt for Beskap) and use safety pins to tie stagen and prada cloth. Make sure it tied strong enough so that cloth prada will not dropped

Tie the stagen with timang strongly and comfortably 

4.   Wear the coat, fasten the button to the left side, and make up the coat as cool as you can

Wear the Beskap coat

Fasten the button to the left side

5.    Wear the blankon in your head as your hat

6.    Put keris in the back of your waist

7.    Finally, wear sandals and your beskap has been settled

So, this is the order of wearing Beskap. Everything must be synchronized and tidy.

The order to wear beskap shows how Javanese culture teach us to have harmony in our daily life.

To conclude, Beskap isn’t just traditional clothes that usually wear in wedding party or formal events, but there’s philosophy behind Beskap which is harmonization in every single activity and relationship in our life. That’s why we must follow the order to wear Beskap in order to show the life harmonization which taught in kejawen teachings.

Words Index

Beskap	Javanese traditional clothes from Surakarta which worn by male
Kejawen teachings (ajaran Kejawen)	Kejawen is Javanese language for 'Javanese culture'. Kejawen teachings is teachings or idology that be taught in Javanese culture
Prada cloth	The bottom dress for wearing beskap. It also use for female clothes but different type and design.
Keris	Javanese asymmetrical dagger
Blankon	Javanese headdress / hat worn by male and made of batik fabric
Stagen	A roll that used to be belt for tied batik or prada cloth for wearing beskap
Timang	A belt for tied stagen in Beskap
Surakarta	The original name for Solo city. Nowadays, Indonesian society are more familiar with Solo city, but if you say Surakarta city, they also know that it's Solo city