The Meaning of Water in Javanese Padusan and Japanese Misogi-Harai Rituals

Abstract

Indonesia and Japan are two countries known for their high regard for culture and tradition, with no exception for those associated with religious rituals. In Japan, the Shinto religion is highly renowned for being the existing and believed ancestor religion. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Islam is the largest religion that has indirectly influenced the cultures and traditions developed in society. Both Islam and the Shinto have a purification ritual with water as their medium, Padusan and Misogi-Harai, respectively. This study focuses on three things, i.e., the history, time of performance, and ritual procedure, to examine the corresponding meaning of the water as the media in both rituals. The method used to collect data is the literature study, and the data is then analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. As a result of the three aspects studied, two similar meanings of water to the ritualistic purpose were discovered, i.e., purifying the soul from impurities/sin and returning the spirit to devotion to God.