The Transformation of the Weton Tradition in Marriage Decision-Making toward Institutionalized Marriage Practices: An al-Mīthāq Qabla al-Zawāj Perspective at KUA Lebakbarang, Pekalongan Regency

Abstract

The practice of determining the time and implementation of marriage in Javanese society has been influenced byThe tradition of calculating weton has shifted. While previously marriage decisions were largely based on customary considerations, this practice now increasingly interacts with the institutional mechanisms of the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA), which emphasizes adherence to Islamic law and state administration. One tradition that still thrives in Javanese society is the practice of calculating weton (the marriage vow) to determine the compatibility of a couple and the date of the wedding. On the other hand, the government, through the Office of Religious Affairs (KUA), has introduced a marriage guidance program as an implementation of the concept of al-mīthāq qabla al-zawāj to build the readiness of prospective brides and grooms. This study aims to analyze the transformation of marriage practices from the weton tradition to an institutional approach in the perspective of al-mīthāq qabla al-zawāj in the Lebakbarang District community, Pekalongan Regency. This study uses a field research method with a qualitative approach using interview techniques with the head of the KUA, the registrar, prospective brides and grooms, and community leaders who still use the weton tradition in marriage at the Lebakbarang KUA, Pekalongan Regency. The results of the study indicate that the interaction between the weton tradition and the KUA institution does not lead to the elimination of tradition, but rather produces a process of transformation of meaning through negotiations between local cultural values ​​with Islamic legal norms and institutional policies. In this process, weton shifts from its normative function as a determinant of marriage decisions to a cultural symbol whose existence is complementary to religious and legal considerations. Analysis through the perspective of al-mīthāq qabla al-zawāj shows that the strengthening of marriage guidance by the KUA reconstructs the orientation of society from the ritual aspect to the formation of psychological readiness, responsibility, and family resilience as the foundation of sustainable marriage.