On Tuesday, 18th June, the Great Hall of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (BB TNBTS) announced the decision to close Mount Bromo to tourists from 21st June until 24th June 2024.
Septi Eka Wardhani, speaking on behalf of BB TNBTS, told the press that the temporary closure is due to the upcoming Yadnya Kasada ritual scheduled to take place at Mount Bromo, as well as the necessity to conduct measures for ecosystem recovery and area cleaning. Mount Bromo will close to visiting tourists on 21st June 2024 at midnight local time and reopen on 24th June 2024 at midnight local time.
“The area is only open to people who will take part in the Yadnya Kasada ritual, with their identity in accordance with the provisions as written in the PHDI [Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia] circular letter for Pasuruan Regency and Probolinggo Regency,” Wardhani explained.
Yadnya Kasada, also known as Kesodo, is a traditional Hindu ritual of the Tenggerese people, who are an ethnic subgroup of the Javanese. The Yadnya Kasada ritual serves as a way of expressing appreciation to their gods, whom the Tenggerese people believe have granted them blessings and welfare.
During this ritual, the Tenggerese people commonly offer agricultural products and livestock to Sang Hyang Widhi—God Almighty in the Hindu faith—and their ancestors by throwing them into the crater of Mount Bromo.
“The offerings, which are in the form of agricultural products, secondary crops, and livestock, are a form of gratitude from the Tenggerese people to God. The offerings that have been given this mantra are then floated into the crater of Mount Bromo,” said Romo Dukun (shaman priest) Sagardi, as quoted from the official website of the East Java Province Communication and Information Service.
In addition, BB TNBTS reported that 8,169 tourists visited Mount Bromo during the Eid al-Adha long weekend (15-18 June). Throughout 2023 alone, 368,507 tourists have visited the volcanic mountain, 13,210 of whom were from overseas. The popularity of Mount Bromo last year was estimated to have contributed to Non-Tax State Revenue worth Rp 14.70 billion.