PENGUATAN NILAI-NILAI DHARMA MELALUI PENDIDIKAN AGAMA DAN SASTRA HINDU PADA PERAYAAN HARI KUNINGAN SEBAGAI UPAYA PENINGKATAN KARAKTER DAN PELESTARIAN BUDAYA LOKAL

Abstract

This Community Service Program (PkM) aims to address the decline in philosophical understanding of the Kuningan holy day celebration and the minimal involvement of the younger generation in the preservation of local traditions. This PkM focused on four main objectives: to re-instill the values of Dharma associated with the Kuningan holy day; to integrate gamelan arts as a medium for cultural learning; to enhance community involvement in authentic cultural practices, literature, and rituals; and to develop religious character, discipline, responsibility, and mutual cooperation (gotong royong). The method employed was the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, implemented through interactive lectures on the values of Kuningan, group discussions, training and workshops on authentic Hindu literature such as geguritan, sloka, and palawakya, as well as mentoring in ritual practices and gamelan arts for children and adolescents. The results of this PkM showed a significant improvement in the understanding of the philosophical values of the Kuningan holy day, which directly impacted character strengthening. Furthermore, it resulted in the integration of an integrated religious-based gamelan teaching module and an increase in active community participation, especially among adolescents, in tradition preservation. This activity successfully demonstrated that preserving traditions through an educative-cultural approach is an effective strategy for strengthening national character based on local wisdom.