KOMUNIKASI RITUAL MASYARAKAT SENDANG BIRU DALAM TRADISI PETIK LAUT (Studi pada Masyarakat Sendang Biru, Kabupaten Malang)

The Petik Laut tradition is a coastal community ritual routinely performed by the people of Sendang Biru, Malang Regency, every September 27. The activities in this tradition include collective prayers (istighosah, tahlil, and religious sermons), folk festivities, cultural parades, and the larungan ceremony, which symbolize gratitude for the abundance of land and sea as well as prayers for safety and blessings, particularly for fishermen. This study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the ritual communication process of the Sendang Biru community within the Petik Laut tradition. The research employs a qualitative approach with a descriptive research type and is grounded in the ethnography of communication. Data were collected through interviews and documentation involving seven research participants selected using the snowball sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using Spradley’s analytical framework and validated through data triangulation techniques. The findings reveal that the ritual communication process of the Sendang Biru community in the Petik Laut tradition unfolds through a series of activities, namely collective prayers, folk festivities, cultural parades, and the larungan ceremony. Each stage involves processes of message exchange, both verbal and nonverbal. Verbal communication occurs through collective prayers (istighosah, tahlil, and religious sermons), while nonverbal communication is manifested through folk festivities, cultural parades, and the larungan ritual. These communication processes can be understood from three main dimensions: communication between humans, communication between humans and God, and communication between humans and nature.