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ceremonies and Eid or even during special feasts like to celebrate a newborn, an achievement or to
present this food to someone as a token of appreciation for the good things that the person has given.
The most significant value that this food offers is the non-verbal advice to spread unity and good deeds.

The Meaning of Red Porridge
Initially, the Javanese society often prepares red porridge for an offering. The red porridge is cooked
in two variations of colours that are red and white. The two colours are representations of women and
men in life and the colours carry a certain meaning in which the red colour is a symbol of the ovary,
while the white colour is a symbol of sperm (Heri, 2020). When the two meet, a little and beautiful
baby will be born.

Some other Javanese society reckons that the white colour symbolizes the prayers of both parents to
their newborn as much as they consider that the red colour symbolizes a mother must forgive her
child's mistakes in the future. Not only that, but the Javanese also believes that red and white porridge
can also be interpreted as a symbol of new life. It is also a feeling of gratitude to God from the family
who gets a new member. The philosophy of this red and white porridge is also courage and purity
(Nurhayati, Mulyana, Ekowati & Meilawati, 2014).

For offering, the red and white porridge also has some special rituals that must be carried out when
preparing them. One of the rituals is that a person who cooks the porridge must be clean and pure. In
another word, the person should not be in a state of menstruation. Some people say that it is only a
myth but if it is observed from another perspective, they concern about hygiene issues. In the
offerings, red porridge is not only served on its own but there are side dishes and a few items in
companion to it. Among the popular items are cigarettes, coins, and ‘ingkung’ chicken (whole chicken
braises with special spices). All these items are placed in a container called ‘takir’ which is a food
container made of banana leaves (Khairunnisa, 2020).

From a different perspective, the Javanese society has interpreted the red and white colours to be more
idyllic in which the symbolic meaning is to remark the commemoration of the month of Safar which is
nd
the second (2 ) month in the Islamic calendar. The red colour is a symbol of comparison and challenges
that are always present in life while the white colour is a symbol of courage, holiness and purity
(Nurhalimah et. al., 2020). This interpretation of the colours is closer to the hearts of the Javanese
society in general and religion in particular as we are tested with a lot of challenges in our lives, thus
one needs to be resilient, strong and courageous to face the difficulties.

The Javanese society believes that red porridge is much associated with them because porridge itself
is the first food consumed by humans when they are babies. It was then, the red porridge entered into
the realm of religion and rituals because of the belief that food is not only essential for daily needs but
also religious interests (Heri, 2020). The concept of food had been associated with the concept of
religion because it is believed that human life originated from the habits of the ancestors which were
then inherited, preserved and developed from the first generation to the next generations (Greet in
Nurhalimah, et. al., 2020).

th
Javanese people had migrated to Peninsular as early as the 15 century when they settled in Malacca
(Gullick, 1993). They lived in quarters and specialized in rice and food trading and sailing. In the late
th
19 century, the migration spread into the state of Selangor and it appeared to be that most Kuala
Lumpur inhabitants were traders from Sumatra and Java. With that, the Javanese that came to Malaysia
has started to adapt to Malay culture and also shared their unique food, art and entertainment (Ramele &
Yamazaki, 2013). Within this scope, Javanese accumulates the highest percentage in Johor. Their
ancestors were not only farmers but some were well educated Islamic teachers and preachers. The
reason for their migration is about high populated land in Java Island (Jandra, Djamil, Salamon,
Ansyory & Zein, 2014).

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