ABSTRACT
The women assisting in the ceremony stand in a semi–circle, from the head of the bed, around the right side and the foot. Islamic ceremonies associated with marriage and funerals as well as calendrical observations such as those for the Prophet’s birthday and Ramadan are essentially male events. The bidan squats next to Asiah and feeds her mouthfuls from each of the feast dishes, presses a lump of nasi semangat to her lips, and gives and Islamic benediction. Men were provided with major ritual roles in Islam; women were given little. Thus women’s pre–Islamic ceremonies were not in competition with what was introduced in the name of Islam. The lenggang perut also brings together women of the kin group and friends, often from several villages, and reaffirms reciprocal obligations among them as well as providing an opportunity for socialising.
