Sarcouncil Journal of Education and Sociology

Abstract: Panggih Manten, the ceremonial meeting of the bride and groom after the marriage contract, remains practised by Javanese communities living outside Java. This study examines how the tradition is practised, adapted, and interpreted as a medium of Islamic education among Javanese Muslims in Parepare, South Sulawesi. Using a qualitative case study, data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation involving five key informants: a traditional custodian, a religious figure, the chairperson of the Kerukunan Keluarga Jawa (KKJ), and a married couple who had undergone the ceremony. Data were analysed through reduction, presentation, verification, and conclusion drawing, with triangulation and member checking used to strengthen credibility. Eleven stages remain recognised in Parepare, although equipment, timing, and technical arrangements have been simplified. Their meanings cluster into four domains of Islamic education: ‘aqidah, worship-oriented responsibility, akhlak, and social ethics. Acceptance of the tradition is further shaped by a religious filter that directs prayer to Allah and rejects meanings associated with shirk. The findings show that Panggih Manten functions as informal ritual pedagogy through selective adaptation, symbolic interaction, religious filtering, and intergenerational transmission.