TRADITION TUMBILOTOHE SAT LAILATUL QADAR

For Gorontalo people, there is always a new spirit at the end of Ramadan. This area stores a viscous tradition with the meaning of culture and religion called Tumbilotohe.

The Tumbilotohe tradition has been implemented since the XV century by the elder of Gorontalo to welcome the Lailatul Qadar night, one of the nights at the end of the month of Ramadan that Islam believed to be a full night of blessings and forgiveness of the Lord YME. Moreover, initially the implementation of Tumbilotohe is intended to facilitate citizens who want to give zakat fitrah at night. In the local language, the word “tumbilo” means lighting or installing and “tohe” means lights, as a symbol of road attackers for Muslims to mosques on the last three days of Ramadan.

The custom winder when lighting the first oil light on the Tumbilotohe celebration (night install lights) at Gorontalo

Pemangku custom when lighting the first oil light on the Tumbilotohe celebration (night install the lamp) at Gorontalo

Before the lights are passed, Gorontalo’s custom pruners (baate) come to the center location of Tumbilotohe’s celebration diiring the gendang collision. A torch is used to light the coconut oil light jerky on alikusu.

The mother lit the oil light at the home to festive the Tumbilotohe celebration (night install the lamp) at Gorontalo

Some small children play fire on the Tumbilotohe celebration (night install the lamp) in Gorontalo

Alikusu is a mosque-shaped gate with 27 pieces of lamps. In the alikusu is also hung for banana devils and sugarcan trees. Pisang is meaningful as a prosperity, fertility and life struggle. While the sweetest sugar lives over age.

After the first lamp was passed, thousands or even hundreds of thousands, millions of other lights in a distance also dance every place on the edge of the road, homeyard, field, office page, mosque, and soccer field even to smelting.