The Grave of THE KIM HOK

August 01, 2018

The Grave of THE KIM HOK

As a Javanese I have a tradition named “badan” to visit my family houses in the moment of Eidmubarok. Eventough I am from a chatolic family, we still continued this tradition with our extended family. I though that this tradition was adapted from moslem culture that we used it as a quality time for apology and forgive to the whole family in this moment. I am really happy to have such a tradition. In this year, however (2018) I can’t join to meet up with my family. It was because I got a free ticket to go overseas for a holiday trip from my friend named Aryo for a week, actually it was my first chance to go to another country.

Sevent days after EidMubarok I just could visit my family house in Temanggung-my grandma’s hometown. In that day, I invited Steve to accompany me to go to my family house inTemanggung since he stays in this town. Going to the grave of my predessesor was the main itinerary in that day in order to cleanup that location and to pray. Then, I asked Steve about his predessesor’s grave since he is a chinese, he said that he was not been visited his grandpa&grandma grave for about ten years. It was really surprising me, because I though that chinese have a similar tradition like Javanese in term of visiting the grave yard of our predessesor. Steve explained that his family only payed someone monthly to maintain his grandpa and grandma’s graves. Steve explained, after his family being a Christian, he never visiting ancestral graves.

After we finished for the first itinerary and visited my families house, Steve had a desire to visit his grandpa and grandma’s grave yard that actually the location closed to the village of my grandma. Therefore we went there to see the condition, however he forgot with the location of his family grave yard. Thereby, he called his mom by phone to guide him. In chinese grave yard which located in Maron district, kandangan, Temanggung we looked around of his family graves but we don’t have a clue. Eventually, we decided to come home.

In the night of this day Steve’s got a call from his mother, the moher told him that she would go to Temanggung with steve’s father in the next morning to look up the family grave. Therefore, because I stayed in Steve house, I followed them in the next day to visit the grave yard of steve’s family. We went to this location at 8 o’clock, the first location was the steve’s grandpa&grandma from his father in which the location was one area with Gudang Garam’s family. Morover, we moved to the grave of he parents of steve’s mother which was about 10 minutes to reached it from the first location by car. In this area, we met with someone who was responsible to maintain the grave of steve’s family named Pak Jono who talked to steve’s parents while me and steve gave the flowers to each grave. Before we went home Steve told me, “Bel, why you do not asked Pak Jono about the grave of THE KIM HOK? Maybe he know about it”. Then steve asked to Pak Jono relating to THE KIM HOK grave, without hesitate Pak Jono showed the precise location of this grave.

However I doubt to Pak Jono’s explanation but steve told me that we had to go there to prove it. This location was around 300 m from steve’s family grave. We took a walk to go there, after we arrived in the location we could not find the name of THE KIM HOK. I told to steve that Pak Jono lied to us, it was better if we went back. However Steve force me to look after another grave near this location, eventually we found this name in the corner graveyard named THE KIM HOK. It was surprising me and I was really happy to find it, because I ever visited his private house and private room. I directly took a pothograph of every part of the grave with the bright face hehehehe. it was because the bigest grave compared to other. It was really fascinating discovery, I feel like Indiana jones who can find a valuable treasure.for the science hehehhe….