Pupuk Perawatan Tradisional Bayi pada Etnis Jawa di Desa Bangun Baru Kecamatan Sei Kepayang Kabupaten Asahan

Abstrak

This research examines the community in Bangun Baru Village, Sei Kepayang District, Asahan Regency, where the majority of residents are of Javanese descent, and they have their own special care for newborn babies by applying "pupuk" (fertilizer) on the baby's head. This research is unique because typically when discussing "pupuk," it refers to fertilizer for plants, but in this study, "pupuk" refers to a traditional treatment or medicine for babies. The aim of this research is to explore the process and benefits of applying "pupuk" on babies as a traditional care method. This research utilizes a qualitative approach with ethnographic methods. The findings indicate that traditional baby care using "pupuk" is practiced from birth until the baby is three months old. The "pupuk" consists of natural ingredients including shallots, galangal, and rice. In addition to these three ingredients, "pupuk" typically includes "jeringau bungle." The ingredients for "pupuk" are chewed by the baby's mother until they are finely ground, then placed on the baby's crown. The application of "pupuk" has benefits such as accelerating the hardening of the baby's crown, relieving flu symptoms in babies, and warding off evil spirits. The application of "pupuk" as a traditional baby care method among the Javanese ethnic community in Bangun Baru Village, Sei Kepayang District, Asahan Regency, continues to be practiced because the community believes in the beneficial effects it brings to babies.