The Symbolic Meaning of Death Ceremonies in Gorontalo From The Perspective of Karl Jaspers

The focus of this article is to examine the symbols used in funeral ceremonies from Gorontalo in the perspective of Karl Jaspers' human philosophy. This research is a library research supported by field research. Literature research uses library data collection methods, while field research uses observation, participatory, interview. Data analysis uses interpretation, historical, heuristic and reflection. The research finds interpretations and reflections on the symbolism of the ceremonial tradition showing that it is not only a chiffer, but a chiffer that gives the power of revelation to other chiffers and unites them in Divine reality. The tradition illustrates that every element of reality, history and culture is interrelated and reveals elements of the same divinity, uborampe and media in ceremonies are symbols towards the Transcendent and play a role in life. The symbols used in the tradition illustrate that every divine power and element in the entire cosmos is in the unity of divinity.


A. Introduction
The implementation of the death tradition in Indonesia is carried out in various ways, for example in Tengger the tradition of death is known as the "entasentas" ceremony 1 . The Dayak tribe carries out a tradition of death ceremonies to honor the spirits of their ancestors. 2 The funeral ceremony in Tana Toraja is known as "rambu solo". 3 The people of Gorontalo also have a tradition of death ceremonies, one of which is singing the Tinilo Pa'ita poem. Tinilo is a poem that contains advice to comfort the bereaved family, praise and prayers addressed to the deceased. 4 Pa'ita comes from the Arabic faata-yafuutu-fautan which means the disappeared spirit, while Tinilo means poetry. 5 Tinilo Pa'ita is a rhythmic poem sung in a distinctive tone and in Gorontalo language. The verse is recited during a ceremony to commemorate the fortieth day of someone's death. The words in Tinilo Pa'ita are comforting to a grieving family.
In addition, this poem is also used as a tool to spread the teachings of Islam in the Gorontalo area. Gorontalo people believe that someone who has died will be raised higher than people who are still alive, they are imaged as having a higher life. 6 Researchers are interested in Tinilo Pa'ita as the object of research, because it is the only script used during the implementation of the death tradition in Gorontalo and still survives from ancient times until now, but the younger generation today does not have the ability to understand the text well. The Tinilo Pa'ita manuscript is in the old Gorontalo language and written in Arabic script, which contains many teachings on human relations with God and becomes a complete human figure.

B. Biography of Karl Jaspers.
Karl Theodor Jaspers is a very influential figure in the twentieth century, this philosopher figure is the son of Carl Wilhelm Jaspers and Henriette Tantzen. Object. If man were to grasp it, man would not be able to grasp it, for the das Umgreifende is constantly retreating to the horizon; in the case of everything that man can know he can only know. within the human horizon/sight. Jaspers explains that das Umgreifende is not a subject but as an individual consciousness that is inward. Das Umgreifende is also not a person who embodies so that it cannot be used as a generally accepted concept or target of thought. Das Umgreifende is an abstract vital urge. With this vital urge, humans can become a 'existing' reality. Jaspers also wants to state that das Umgreifende is not an object because das mgreifende is not a 'finished product' that can be known and understood, so 'presenting' das Umgreifende in life with the subject-object dichotomy is very inappropriate; moreover, knowledge, understanding, contemplation, and human appreciation of das Umgreifende are always not. Although das Umgreifende is neither a subject nor an object but can be used as material for thought; it means that das Umgreifende only seems to be an object in thought, not a fact that can actually be made a sensory object. No device is sufficient to objectify das Umgreifende unless it can only be objectified in philosophy. 14 2. Chiffer -Chiffer.
The attainment of Transcendence can only occur through symbols, Karl Jaspers calls it the Chiffer. Man must read Chiffer to understand the language of Transcendence. Chiffer is a text of Transcendence and the language of Transcendence. The whole reality that surrounds humans is Chiffer. 15 According to Jaspers, humans who exist experience a limit situation (ultimate situation) which in turn leads humans to be able to read symbols (Chiffer). The world of symbols or Chiffers mediates between "existence" and "Transcendence". Anything can be a Chiffer, meaning to be a "shadow", "echo" or "trail" of Transcendence: nature, scripture, history, mysticism and so on.
However, Chiffer -Chiffer speaks most strongly in borderline situations. 16 According to Jaspers, humans who exist experience a limit situation (ultimate situation) which in turn leads humans to be able to read symbols (Chiffer). The world of symbols or Chiffers mediates between "existence" and "Transcendence". Anything can be a Chiffer, meaning to be a "shadow", "echo" or "trail" of Transcendence: nature, scripture, history, mysticism and so on.
Strictly speaking, in religious language, Transcendence in this sense is God. Faced with this Transcendence, humans as limited persons feel that they stand before a Person with absolute superpower (absolute bermacht) who greets, gives orders and demands. Nevertheless, for Jaspers one thing remained: Whatever man might say about God, He remained unrecognizable and identifiable. Jaspers philosophy is willing to obey the prohibition to take a picture of God. For him, it is enough to know that God exists, not how God is.
Jaspers said: That God exists is enough. Being sure of this is the only thing that matters. Everything else will follow. It is only in God that there is emptiness, truth, stability of 'being' alone, there is tranquility, there is the place of origin and destination for humans who are nothing in themselves, and how the human condition is currently only in existence. relationship with the Foundation.
Karl Jaspers argues that the original Chiffer cannot be interpreted.

E. Stages of the death ceremony in Gorontalo
In the context of funeral ceremonies, the implementers consist of traditional stakeholders and syarak officials. The stages in the traditional funeral ceremony consist of three phases, namely (1) preparation, (2) funeral,  The lobohu tray/coal place is a place of fire that is usually used in the implementation of the spirit prayer, the lobohu tray/coal place is one of the parts when the spirit prayer takes place. This coal holder consists of 1 cup of water, embers, frankincense, and a coal holder and then put together in a tray.

b) Candle flowers (white paper flowers)
Candle flowers are flowers made of oil paper, white parlak, or white cloth that will be placed at the four corners of the tomb. This means as a marker of the grave and a benchmark for the width of the grave, and this candle flower is required to exist, this is based on ancient history that the old people used to use it as a marker to know that there is a grave in that place, but this candle flower is placed on when the funeral is over, and will be removed and replaced with rambe flowers (blue paper flowers). The meaning of the symbol on this candle is included in the meaning of the symbol in the scope of philosophy because philosophy can be seen as an attitude towards life and the universe regarding all causes, origins and laws. 31 c) Bakohati (cake stand) Bakohati is a blue cake place in which there is money and cakes which are then prayed for after which they are distributed to the mourners who come. Bakohati has a pentagon shape, this shape is taken from the basic pillars of Islam which consist of five. Bakohati has a meaning, namely the place where the heart is located, which means consoling the heart for those who are grieving. It is about the size of a conical fist. Cardboard base.
The color is blue. Bakohati will be distributed to people who come for 40 days of prayer. Bakohati intends to remind the beautiful memories of the deceased with the aim of maintaining a good relationship between guests and the family of the deceased/deceased. Bakohati that is distributed has two types.
White Bakohati will be given to the leader of the country. The blue color will be given to guests with different amounts. 32 d) Tolangga Lo Pa'ita, tombstone stretcher Tolangga lo pa'ita, tombstone stretcher is where the tombstone is placed. This tombstone stretcher has been decorated with a dome, wrapped with blue and white oil paper. This tombstone stretcher means as the last stage for the deceased, or as a last sign of respect, because later the tombstone will be placed on it, the tombstone that has been decorated like a bride symbolizes the figure of the person who has died. the symbolic meaning of tolangga lo pa'ita is included in the symbolic meaning. 33 The headstone stretcher is a building resembling a mosque, above it is given an umbrella resembling a dome. The decorations used in this stretcher match the gender of the person who died. If the deceased is a woman, the meaning of the decoration will be made to resemble the traditional Gorontalo clothing for women. In the stretcher is also placed a tombstone which will later be taken to the tomb. 34 The goal is to form belief and faith by the Muslims, that the living will surely taste death, in fact humans will return to Allah swt. and only to Him ask for perfection. 35 form, the relation between religion and local culture in the Gorontalo community can be seen. Live in harmony and peace that is very strong without friction. The people of Gorontalo prioritize a sense of kinship, tolerance, prioritize collective cooperation in various matters.

e) Pa'ita, tombstone
Pa'ita or tombstones are grave markers. In the past, the people of Gorontalo used tombstones made of living stones (river stones) in the river.
The Gorontalo people believe that a living stone can glorify at any time, and the stone will enlarge, so that the marks on the grave will be there throughout the ages. The people of Gorontalo have a rule in laying tombstones, the tombstone will also be decorated like a bride wearing traditional clothes, before being decorated the tombstone will be wrapped with a white cloth. Women's tombstones are dressed in traditional clothes and headdresses (bili'u), and men's tombstones are dressed in traditional clothes and headdresses (makuta). The rambe flower is a blue paper flower that will be placed on the four sides of the grave. 36

f) Pala'u & Toyopo
Pala'u and toyopo are foods that will be prayed for during tahlilan.
Knees and eggs. Pala'u will be placed opposite the priest while the toyopo will be placed next to the tolangga lo pa'ita / tombstone stretcher to be prayed for. Toyopo means as the last food or the last meal for people who have died, in toyopo there are five kinds of food symbolizing the five pillars of Islam that are prescribed. Pala'u means the origin of life because it is found in pala'u. White rice symbolizes male parents, yellow rice symbolizes female parents, when male parents meet female parents, they become eggs, the eggs themselves symbolize children. As time goes by, the child will grow 36 Wulandari, "Makna Simbolik Dalam Tahlilan Masyarakat Gorontalo Di Desa Panggulo," 87. and develop, so it is symbolized by brown rice, while bananas are symbolized as lust. 37 g) Wobulo/ blue dress This blue shirt or wobulo itself is the clothes that mourners will wear to the funeral home. This blue shirt is specifically used for 40 days of tahlil.
The blue color on this shirt symbolizes the distant sky, so the blue shirt has the meaning that the family's sorrow has begun to disappear, and the spirit of the deceased person is farther away from the family left behind like a sky that is far from our reach. 38

F. Chiffre-Chiffer at the funeral of Tinilo Pa'ita
The symbols in Tinilo Pa'ita, in various forms, such as structure, spatial Mircea Eliade found a similar appreciation in many primitive tribes. The names given to the supreme divinity of many tribes are associated with the sky, such as Ilo, the supreme god of the Maori people, meaning the highest peak; Uwoluwo, the supreme god of the Negro Akposo, which means the one on high; 40 Jaspers,2:70. Anu, the supreme god of the Babylonians, who also represented the sky; Deus in ancient Greek beliefs, meaning dwelling in the sky; Tengri, the supreme god of the Mongolian faith; and Tien, the supreme god of Chinese society. 41 Bakohati who translates the mystical experience of the ancestral revelation of the Gorontalo people into physical objects. bakohati, as a symbol of the mystical experience of revelation, represents the element and vision of Transcendence.
Bakohati, as an object of translation, on the one hand has the power, because it makes an exclusive, personal and unique mystical experience of revelation that can be known by many people and passed on to many generations. Bakohati in white and blue depict the height of the white sky and mother. The attainment of the expression of wonder of the color of the sky is a language towards the transcendent. Expression of amazement according to Karl Jaspers is categorized as a second language. It has elements of divinity and is truly in the flow of the divine mystery, which in the ascending way penetrates to the divine plane, and in the descending way presents (wirklich) Transcendence.
Bakohati and other instruments in the ceremony, on the other hand, as a place of translation cannot reach the totality of the mystical experience of exclusive, personal and unique revelation. Each object of translation has a distinctive structure, which can both represent and limit, so it cannot cover the totality of the mystical experience of revelation. Bakohati in its form is the embodiment of deep and total religiosity. It is manifested in the shape of a bakohati with five seals that describe the pillars of Islam. Pa'ita, including the symbolic expressions in the episode Tinilo Pa'ita.
Tinilo Pa'ita represents Transcendence, which is absolute and infinite, which transcends the sky that envelops the entire cosmos and is involved in life.
The depiction of the Transcendence in the Tinilo Pa'ita tradition approaches Jaspers' thoughts on Transcendence. Symbols and oburampes in the execution of 40 days on the one hand represent absolute and infinite divinity, far beyond the heavens, because they are inaccessible. Symbols present elements of divinity in the tradition. The presence in the chiffer makes the uborampe in the ceremony unable to be fully revealed and always keeps the mystery as the biggest part.
Interpretation and reflection on the symbolism of the ceremonial tradition shows that it is not only a chiffer, but a chiffer that gives revelatory power to other chiffers and unites in divine reality. The tradition illustrates that every element of 43 Harry Hamersma, Filsafat Eksistensi Karl Jaspers (Jakarta: Gramedia, 1985), 35-36. 44 Ndona, "Revelasi Ilahi Pada Peo Jawawawo-Keo Tengah Dalam Perspektif Metafisika Simbol Karl Jaspers: Sumbangan Bagi Penguatan Religiusitas Masyarakat Katolik Indonesia," 182. reality, history and culture is interrelated and reflects elements of the same divinity, Bakohati and stretcher in the form of an umbrella symbol towards the Transcendent and envelops the entire cosmos and plays a role in life. The symbols used in the tradition illustrate that every divine power and element in the entire cosmos is in the unity of divinity. thereby portraying the natural monistic faith of the Gorontalo people as the One. 45 This symbolism justifies Jaspers' assertion that human existence can only be attained in relation to Transcendence. 46 The understanding of the existence of the Gorontalo people, of course, is not exactly the same as the description of the existence of Jaspers which emphasizes individual freedom in self-realization.
Existence, for the people of Gorontalo, is more about existence and survival.
Existence and survival, for Gorontalo people, can only be achieved in the human relationship with God.

G. Conclusion
Based on the description above, it can be concluded that as the answer to this research, Gorontalo's culture of death in the form of Tinilo Pa'ita and the media used in the 40-day commemoration ceremony are symbols representing Transcendence. The symbol and content of Tinilo Pa'ita as Chiffer finds a metaphysical dimension, namely the Divine in the symbolic elements of Tinilo Pa'ita. Symbolic elements as access to reality to reveal the divine element that is revealed. The media and symbolization used in the implementation of the spirit prayer activities become a mystical experience of revelation, it describes the elements and vision of Transcendence. Media, as objects of translation, on the one hand have the power, because they make an exclusive, personal and unique mystical experience of revelation known by many people and passed on too many generations.