Traditional courting ceremony that lasts for 3 days.

The people of Wangi-Wangi have a unique tradition known as Kabuenga, which aims to unite eligible men and women. Each year, the villagers of Waetuno (Wangi-Wangi) come together for the Kabuenga ceremony in an open field, attended by both eligible male and female citizens who have grown up in Wakatobi.

A three day event to show love and romance to your intended soulmate

We were lucky to be in Wakatobi during August when the festivities are held. Sailing the world has allowed us to witness such amazing festivities that we would normally not see if travelling in a conventional method. While we didn't participate in all three days, we witnessed the final day, Wow! The third day is where men express their interest in specific women, in a very unusual manner. Men and women dress in their exquisite traditional attire, presenting themselves to attract their future soulmates. 

The women, in particular, look stunning in their traditional clothing, perfectly styled hair, and flawless makeup, paying attention to every detail just like Westerners do for weddings. I asked our young guide, Is just today the final day they dress like this? “Oh no! Everyday of the festivities they must present themselves as their best”.

We also were asked to dress in traditional sarong, our guides helped us fashion the sarongs in all sorts of ways. But there was no comparison to how the locals dressed for the occasion.

Helping to be dressed in a traditional sarong for the festivities 

The most elaborate traditional costumes are worn
by both men and women

The word "Kabuenga" in the local indigenous language means swing. Traditional leaders oversee the creation of a large swing where couples who wish to marry can sit together, symbolizing their love and intention to wed.

The King and the royal family watch the proceedings.

The Kabuenga tradition involves several steps, starting with chanting Kadandio poetry. The poetry is accompanied by drumbeats with a serene and soothing rhythm. Kadandio's poetry offers guidance and advice to young adults as they embark on their journey to build a future household.

Kadandio Poetry being chanted as part of the ceremony 

The ceremonial event then gets in full momentum with the women spinning the Kabuenga altar swing seven times while reciting Kadandio poetry under the guidance of traditional leaders. Following this, the women perform the pajoge dance to the beat of drums and gongs, marking the start of this sacred ritual. As the women dance, the men are encouraged to show their interest by offering money to the women.

Mother’s of the men arriving with money offerings 

On the third day, the women present baskets filled with various brightly colored traditional foods. These delicacies are revealed after a relatively new addition the lively parade featuring different floats, military demonstrations, depictions of village life, and flying large kites. Throughout this procession, married women sing poignant love songs, culminating in the selection of the best handmade sarong, a symbol of a girl's readiness for marriage.

Baskets filled with traditional delicious food

Different Villages from the region dress to showcase their traditions 

Many different floats are in the parade with everyone dressed 
so beautifully 

Similar to the tale of Cinderella, the swing is adorned with handmade sarongs crafted by the attending girls. The narrative unfolds with the women losing their sarongs now displayed on the swing, prompting the Village King to identify the finest sarong. Once chosen, the King embarks on a quest to locate the woman who created it. If found, she is offered the hand of the King's grandson in marriage. This staged ritual now concludes without an actual marriage proposal, as the grandson as you can see seems less than thrilled with the chosen woman.

The King searching for the woman who made the sarong 

The King and Grandson guarded search the village for the 
Woman who made the finest sarong 

The Kings grandson not looking all that impressed with his
Grandfather’s choice, luckily for him this is a staged
part of theproceedings  

"These women wishing to find a soulmate will offer traditional food from the baskets for the men to purchase, by purchasing food from a woman, the men are showing their interest in courtship," our delightful guide explained. Judging by the amount of food in those baskets, the men won't go hungry. As the old saying goes, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," and perhaps this is where it all began.

This gives an idea of how many women are participating, 
plus there is another pavilion right angles to this one.

Once the man has shown enough interest, maybe by purchasing all the food she offers, they then proceed. They claim to intend to live together, sitting juxtaposed on the swing in the middle of the field, open for all to see. Every couple on the swing is gently rocked by the swing minders, who sing poetic rhymes. After this ceremony, each pair splits up and returns home to await the negotiations between the two families, leading to a courtship, the engagement and marriage.

The Regent and his wife trying out the swing

This tradition has been preserved within the region. We were informed that "This traditional ritual of finding a soul mate should only be carried out after celebrating Islamic holidays." The traditional leaders have chosen the Eid al-Fitr celebration as the most suitable moment to hold the Kabuenga tradition, as during this Muslim holiday, the Wakatobi people who have migrated to various regions in Indonesia, and even abroad, return home or visit for Eid.

It is traction for families to reunite and return home for Eid.

All traditions aside the festivities are now merely symbolic, as the local government in Wakatobi Regency has integrated this annual tradition into a tourism promotion event. “This tradition not only upholds the cultural heritage but also functions as a tourist attraction”. our guide proclaimed. While it is rich in color and cultural significance, it may seem overly extravagant for those with limited resources, to provide the event merely as a tourist activity for the very few (35) of us who visited as tourists. 

Our transportation to and from the festival was by local boat.

We do hope for this beautiful tradition of love and romance to endure and not fade away with time as so many have.

Following are a number of photos that we hope capture the day. Thank you Wakatobi for an insight to this community through their festival of Kabuenga.

If you would like to see the moving sights and sounds of the Kabuenga Festival you can view it here ▶️  https://tinyurl.com/DreamtimeSailEp91

Our welcome part at the gates to the village 

Beautiful floats ready for the parade

Handmade sarongs adorn the floats as this is the symbol of a woman’s eligibility to marry

Not sure she is of marriage age but she could steal many hearts

The day is very long 8am to sunset, take food, water and a chair.

King arrives by horse back

Thanks for catching our latest Blog, cheers R&K 

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