Celebrating Birthday Based on Weton Calculation by the People of Blitar, East Java
Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2024 3137
Weton in Javanese Culture
Weton can be interpreted as the day of birth. The word weton comes from the
Javanese language "Wetu" which means out or born., then gets a suffix which makes it a
form of noun. The so-called weapon is a combination of the day and the market when the
baby is born into the world. So the word weapon is a combination, gathering, unification,
or addition of a person's best-selling days, namely Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with market days, namely kliwon, legi,
paying, pon, and wage. Weton is sometimes called Petung Weton (Rizaluddin, Alifah,
Khakim, & Geertz, 2021).
Weton or birthday in Javanese culture is a very important thing. In Javanese
calculations, the traits and journey of a person's life can be read from the Weston or the
day of birth. In Javanese philosophy, the knowledge or record about this is also called
"Ilmu Titan" or the cool language "Observation Science" or the knowledge obtained and
compiled by the ancestors of the Javanese people in the past from the results of
observations and then recorded, and become a kind of life guide for the Javanese people
today (Ashari, 2020).
The calculation of weapons which is based on Javanese heritage is also a form of
inherited tradition. The tradition of calculating weapons is also carried out in an event to
commemorate the day of birth. The tradition of calculating Weston is still widely
practised by the Javanese people, although not all people follow this culture and believe
in the celebration of birthdays and the selection of good days (Jihan’Aatika, Maulani, &
Rifqi, 2023).
The Javanese Islamic calendar is a combination of the Saka calendar and the Hijri
calendar. The Saka calendar is based on the earth's circulation around the sun, which
began in 78 AD, during the coronation of Aji Saka as the king of India, known as the
Saka legacy. The Javanese or Saka calendar began to be used in 1633 AD or 1544. At
that time, Sultan Agung Only Krakusuma was the king of Mataram and was known as a
person who was obedient to Islam, he was also an expert in the field of Falak, the Javanese
calendar in a revolutionary way. This change in the Javanese calendar starts from Friday
Legi, 1 Suro in the year of Alip 1555, more precisely 1 Muharam in 1043 H or July 8,
1633.
Every Javanese must have a weton because weton means the day of birth according
to the day of the market. Market Day is a Javanese day consisting of only 5 days, namely
Kliwon, Legi, Pahing, Pon, and Wage. These five days are commonly called Market days.
It is called the market day because in the past each of these names was used as a name to
determine the opening of the market for traders, so that on the day it was set a market
there would be many visits by traders to sell their goods, and there were very many buyers
who visited and shopped in the market. When revealed from ancestors in ancient times,
the mention of the name of the 5 days of the market was taken from the name of 5 spirits.
The names of the spirits include Batara Legi, Batara Paing, Batara Pon, Batara Wage, and
Batara Kliwon. These five spirits are the main part of the human soul which has become