IPB University PKM Team Examines Efforts to Prevent Free Sex Based on Local Wisdom in Indramayu
IPB University students from the Student Creativity Program team for Social Humanities Research (PKM RSH) ‘Ngawurat’ conducted research on one of the customs in Lelea Village, Indramayu, West Java, namely the Ngarot traditional ceremony. This research was conducted to reveal the connection between local wisdom and customs as an effort to prevent free sex.
“Free sex is still a worrying problem in society. “The high rate of free sex, especially in the current generation Z, is partly caused by the erosion of noble cultural values in society,” said Ilham Ramadhani Amir, one of the team members.
According to him, one of the efforts to prevent free sex can be through a social approach by utilizing the local wisdom of the Indonesian people. For this reason, he and his team conducted this social research.
“I have known about this Ngarot traditional ceremony for a long time since becoming a West Java Student Language Ambassador in 2020. “At that time, one of the judges named Teh Anggi who came from Indramayu Regency also asked about this traditional ceremony during the question and answer session,” he said.
“Therefore, I invited my teammates to research the relationship between this traditional ceremony as a form of preventing free sex based on local wisdom,” said Ilham.
The Ngawurat PKM RSH team is chaired by Markus Amartya Sam Hutahaean, along with four members, namely Ilham Ramdhani Amir, Delita Nur Hasanah, Michelle Zevanya Wilma, Ledya Wahyuni and their supervisor, Hana Indriana, SP, MSi from the Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University.
One of the research objects of the Ngarot traditional ceremony is the flower crown worn by young women during the ceremony. There is a myth that this flower crown will wither if worn by young women who are no longer virgins.
Through permission from the village, the Ngawurat Team conducted research by taking data from generation Z respondents from five schools around Lelea Village, as well as conducting interviews with several stakeholders. This research will run from April 21 to August 22 2024.
“Just take better care of yourself, really. When I was little, I was told that in the village there is a Ngarot custom. They say that if you’re not a virgin, it’ll look like you’re wearing those flowers, sorry, if you’re not a virgin, the flowers will wilt, so it’s like we take better care of ourselves, Sis, whether it’s a girl or a boy. “Still take care of yourself, even if you don’t wear flowers,” said one of the key informants interviewed by the Ngawurat team.
Ilham and the PKM RSH team hope that with this research, the latest published information will be proof that the Ngarot traditional ceremony can be a form of effort to prevent free sex based on local wisdom in Lelea Village. This, he said, is also expected to help reduce the number of free sex in Indramayu Regency. (*/Rz) (IAAS/ASD)
