Ulek Mayang

Post written by:
Nicolas Nathan
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Apparently singing a song at a beach at night will lure out spirits of fishermen that were lost or died at sea. The song is called Ulek Mayang and its origins hails from Terengganu.


Additions by:
Sara de Souza
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Apparently the song is a pre-Islamic religious trance dance accompanied by singing and music in Terengganu, originating from an unknown nearby island in which the Malay orchestra, comprising drums, gong, violin and accordian is used. (Shafiee Ahmad 1992)

It's said that the song itself is an old spell. And according to another source, it originally is "a healing ceremonial dance to restore the spirits of the fisherfolks who were possessed by the sea spirit."

Today, the song is popular known as a Malay/Terengganu traditional dance song, where he dancing always begins with a person who is suffering from illness either when he catches fish, in the paddy field or any other daily activities in the society.

The patient will then healed by a bomoh, a traditional Malay doctor in the traditional way. Seven actors beautifully dressed represent the 7 princesses who come to visit the patient when the bomoh is treating him. Kemayan will be burnt together with chanting of pantun and dancing through the whole performance. Sometimes the rebab and seruling are also used to accompany the singing which is in the form of rhymes and poem.

The following are the lyrics to the song, where the last paragraph has been cut off out of the song in the modern rendition of it. That's because the last paragraph contains the spell that is supposedly able to call out spirits.

Ulek mayang ku ulek
Ulek dengan jala jemala
Ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan tuannya puteri
Ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan jala jemala
Ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan puterinya dua

Puteri dua berbaju serong
Puteri dua bersanggol sendeng
Puteri dua bersubang gading
Puteri dua berselendang kuning
Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Nok ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan puterinya empat

Puteri empat berbaju serong
Puteri empat bersanggol sendeng
Puteri empat bersubang gading
Puteri empat berselendang kuning
Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Nok ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan puterinya enam

Puteri enam berbaju serong
Puteri enam bersanggol sendeng
Puteri enam bersubang gading
Puteri enam berselendang kuning
Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Nok ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan puterinya tujuh

Puteri tujuh berbaju serong
Puteri tujuh bersanggol sendeng
Puteri tujuh bersubang gading
Puteri tujuh berselendang kuning
Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Nok ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan tuannya puteri

Tuan puteri berbaju serong
Tuan puteri bersanggol sendeng
Tuan puteri bersubang gading
Tuan puteri berselendang kuning
Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Nok ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan tuannya puteri

Umbok mayang diumbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
ulek mayang diulek
Ulek dengan tuannya puteri
Jelita..

Ku tahu asal usul mu
Yang laut balik ke laut
Yang darat balik ke darat
Nasi berwarna hamba sembahkan
Umbok mayang ku umbok
Umbok dengan jala jemala
Pulih mayang ku pulih
Pulih balik sedia kala

Referenced from:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070326010646AAIfP7g
http://dontbankonit.blogspot.com/2008/01/ulek-mayang-ku-ulek.html
http://www.tourism.terengganu.gov.my/cultural/ulekmayang.htm