Jailangkung ([dʒai'laŋkuŋ]), also called jelangkung ([dʒə'laŋkuŋ]),[1][2] is an Indonesian folk ritual of communicating with spirits of the dead. It uses an effigy that a spirit is said to possess after being summoned. The practice emerged in its current form in the early 1950s and has origins in the Chinese tradition of spirit basket divination, though it also has similarities to a traditional Javanese ritual called nini towong. Jailangkung is also played as a traditional game by both children and adults, drawing criticism from medical and religious authorities. Its depiction in the 2001 film Jelangkung initiated a revival of the Indonesian horror genre.
- ^ Chan 2018.
- ^ Echols & Shadily 1989, p. 239.