Titen: Local Wisdom of the Javanese Community in Facing Natural Disasters

Abstract

Javanese society is a community that has existed for a long time in Indonesia and belongs to one of the reasonably large races there. Javanese society has long been known as a community with high culture, beliefs, and spiritual knowledge that can develop harmony between himself and the creator and nature. The spiritual knowledge possessed by the Javanese community is known as Kejawen. Natural disasters are unavoidable disasters; however, their arrival is predictable. One of the Javanese people's local wisdom is the science of "titen," or the science of remembering. The Javanese people from ancient times used this knowledge to predict the occurrence of disasters. Javanese people have long been united with nature and can read the signs of nature before disaster strikes. Various natural signs can be felt before a disaster, such as volcanic eruptions marked by the descent of animals, landslides marked by the use of ropes, and so on. The pandemics' arrival in an area can be marked by comets in a particular area, known as lintang kemukus. Although the belief in these signs of nature seems illogical nowadays with modern technology, it is still valid and suitable for use today.