Market Friday : Beringharjo Market

![DSC01847.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/Ep1XNr1ZJNCcc5bXYV74ZLhKSG8kLG57ZUbR9gFEy9wp8YhCzUY3Kch8FYhQmFRqrw5.JPG)

**Beringharjo market** is an iconic market in Yogyakarta that mainly sells Batik, an ancient dyeing technique applied to a cloth/or any surface/crafts. However, whenever people refer to batik most commonly they refer to some form of fashion. But little did people know, batik isn’t a type of dress, it’s the technique.

![DSC01849.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoGxSafTMD8ASMuSS7xJFN76w2dZUtgqBivj4sZXYRZk6rt3G4RYhJygnAarFuw2qxh.JPG)_{A batik motifs called "Kawung"}

Today, I went to this market with my mom who came to visit me. She loved seeing the batik works in this market and I love seeing people’s interaction within each other. The place is lively with sellers and buyers interacting with each other. You can see below that there’s also a woman carrying a bucket on her back. ### These elderly people, especially women, are offering their porter service. Just when I thought that they are rather old and small, they are pretty strong. ![DSC01846.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/Ep7tgg8Cjckjk1R6qJYPo6wipnwVH1xrE6gCQKFtpR8NQQwfZUBDiEfqWdvBneneQAe.JPG) A woman who looked in her 60’s tapped my shoulder and said, “ den, porter, den” in polite javanese which translates as “ Do you want a porter service”. “den" is an abbreviation of Raden which refers to a nobility title in the Javanese royal custom. However, it could also be politely used in such a way to indicate a social class distinction between the speaker and the listener. Bargaining is also common practice in this market which adds some sort of excitement. I am never good with bargaining but my mom is. It's interesting how sellers always yields to my mom's price. Though I think she sometimes haggles way too much. I think if my mom goes to any shop, the seller will only make a little profit. ![DSC01848.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EpVC4ewNc6pkzfDYJ1aQx126TqJ57NZCqXjYWFE5VqhkWUD1yjoYzF7jEpWjJhbjMeF.JPG) Inside the place, we intended to buy a dress for my grandma. As you can see above, that is the latest trend on batik dress. However, we were looking for something simple, a dress that she could wear at home. ![DSC01849.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoGxSafTMD8ASMuSS7xJFN76w2dZUtgqBivj4sZXYRZk6rt3G4RYhJygnAarFuw2qxh.JPG) The batik above is called Batik with Kawung motifs. That one, reminded me when I had a semester learning about batik. I can tell you as much that it is extremely difficult with tedious processes. That time, I learned about the history, how to make it, and how to appreciate it as a form of art. Though batik that are often sold in these stores are using modern copy-techniques instead of manually done. The batiks dresses and cloth that are manually done are always costing an arm and leg. Not only Batik, there are plenty of crafts and handicrafts sold at this market. Like in this picture below, you can see some bags made from bamboo. These bags are quite durable and I supposed, eco-friendly. They are often sold at bargaining prices and aren't that expensive. ![DSC01850.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoiWBJ5JQT2ERDGS9J2dZgoBYpp9rhZEwQhuzVxKR4Tj8DYTtCWTkx562ygi4x8d4qx.JPG) And below is another type of bag that’s often sold around the area and is extremely cheap. These bags make great gifts and they cost from 0.5$ to less than 2$.

![DSC01853.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoCiabCFjwgmvWCTzbiWZqTwspbvA6qmFeSFDsjLprJ348VpzjDCsZCy9Po2YBVDTVL.JPG)

![DSC01854.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EonmTySqo6xxoNuUP5R2HR3ZSg84Rp2jEt2GasHtKAN2F1rHxrKUE1vkFmHNbQtB6nr.JPG)

Oh yeah, the people in this area, typically they can speak more than 2 languages. I mean, as you can see below. This is the common sign that you will see around these areas. The first one is an ancient javanese sanskrit. The next one is the javanese language. Underneath both is the bahasa indonesia, the national language and English. The people in this area also understand a basic and speak broken English. ![DSC01852.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/Eos2GMz8aFR2SySdFhjeAG2pmUjNs4i6KYDCGHxhsgCXKRmQtHNCTZMqSTWVxWfBsZV.JPG) ## I think it’s really awesome that they can speak and understand more than two languages.

![DSC01858.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoEipmmtqnfCi4ewWrvGJESUxW9mBBSVjC6Hzz3B1C6ff2o9CGR8MU6LRAZk9njLrPa.JPG)

Not to mention, the people around these markets are quite friendly. They don’t mind striking up a conversation randomly or chimed in randomly. I was about to take the picture of durian and my mom was blocking the camera. “ Mom, walk first ! “ I yelled. A man in a government uniform chimed in, “ Haha She’s blocking your way”. He said something else I couldn't hear and I continued taking pictures around. In this market, three wheeler or the locals call it becak is a means of transportation. In the past, the person on the back was cycling it but in recent years, they are all motorized. As soon as you leave Beringharjo market, there will be many who will offer you their service. You can politely decline and they will leave you alone. ![DSC01836.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EoeFThgCeZ7jMUbpBk3CafLhHuSds3dE3WTZFGwHsjkC6pQVdHcJyimRHPvUMQPNnUy.JPG) _{Not exactly taken in front of the market but you get the picture of a transportation called becak.} Once, I wrote about [the second and the third floor of this market](https://travelfeed.io/@macchiata/visit-the-oldest-market-in-yogyakarta-beringharjo#comments). But because of today, I have grown more appreciative of the lower side of the market, especially the batik's area. Looking back, I wasn’t really interested in the batik area but today, it opened me up to a new experience and a fresh way to see this oldest market in the province. [//]:# (!pinmapple -7.798655 lat 110.365667 long Pasar Beringharjo d3scr) ![thumbnail.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23swkJrF3ouXX8FibfnQgVToKNscFiq78mAAMZCPFH6mxWpo7UCoQ2ACryBdeyMMz7kiE.png)

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![thumbnail.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23swkJrF3ouXX8FibfnQgVToKNscFiq78mAAMZCPFH6mxWpo7UCoQ2ACryBdeyMMz7kiE.png) Don't hesitate to upvote for more content like this !

||| |-|-| |![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/AKVWrFsNLVxtVBuUDaqLPQpvCxvkjNzGcS8JcDVoTsC3ks3LxJbwM8hdaDt9eSc.png)|Mac is a jack of all trades. A typical introvert in love with literature, books, technology and philosophy. She is also so into nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than that, she is passionate about cooking and traveling. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. If you like her content, don't hesitate to upvote, leave a comment or a feedback. A re-blog is also appreciated.|

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