Adam and Eve and Vishnu: Syncretism in the Javanese Slametan

This article provides a fresh account of the Javanese slametan, or ritual meal, often said to be at the heart of Javanese popular religion. It shows how people of diverse ideology come together in ritual and, while apparently saying the same things, give expression to opposed views about God, revelation, Islam, and humankind's place in the cosmos. The case illuminates the ways in which ritual multivocality can be exploited in a culturally diverse setting, and sheds new light on a locus classicus of religious syncretism.