Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam which is full of ritual and spiritual values. In the midst of Indonesia's pluralistic society, the implementation of the pilgrimage cannot be separated from the local cultural construction that surrounds it. This article examines the implementation of the hajj by the Wandan people in the Kei Islands, Southeast Maluku, in the construction of local culture. This research uses a qualitative approach with ethnographic research that utilizes historical sources (diachronic) related to the culture being studied. The results show that the implementation of the hajj by the Wandan people has its own uniqueness which is reflected in a series of traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation since the first ancestors performed the pilgrimage in the 1880s. These traditions include: intention of hajj, ukuf seng haji (prayer for hajj money), mbim maaf (forgiveness goat/walimah tusaffar), pilgrimage to ancestral graves, sahar (filling hajj equipment), moli (seclusion/i'tikaf), rosok rumoh (leaving the house), and rusui ain (washing the feet of the pilgrim upon return). This research concludes that the pilgrimage for the Wandan people is not just an empty verbal ritual, but contains philosophical symbolism with very deep meaning, which represents the acculturation between Islamic teachings and local cultural values that have been firmly rooted in the life of the Wandan community.
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