He said the ritual was done by the Yogyakarta Provost Herry Zudianto with the help of several courtiers of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace.
"This is a ceremony which is held annually after a cleansing rite at the Palace," he said after leading the ceremony at the Yogyakarta local administration office.
According to him, the rite was done to treat a heirloom with an eye to keep the spear clean and in good condition.
"And fortuitously it is the last day of the Muharam, eventhough the purification ceremony is not always held in the month," he said.
The Kyai Wijoyo Mukti was a present from Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the King of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat palace, in 2000, he said.
"Like the stuff, the heritage should be treated and guarded so it will remain clean and pure," he added.
The washing used lime to remove rust on the eye of the spear, however, if the corrosion is serious, it needs to be soaked in young coconut water, he said.
Besides conducting the washing ceremony against the local government's spear, other 25 heirlooms owned by officials, such as traditional knives (keris), eye spear and baton, were also washed clean.
Sudarsono, one of the officials who had his keris washed, said that his heirloom needed to be cleaned to make it durable.
"This keris is from my parents, and it is always washed annually to make it clean and strong," said he.
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Reporter: Bambang
Editor: Bambang
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
