<![CDATA[This study examines the transformation of Bagarakan Pengantin Sahur in Indragiri Hilir, Riau, from a practical Ramadan activity for waking residents for sahur into a distinctive cultural performance. Rather than treating transformation simply as the preservation of tradition through modernization, the study investigates how changes in performance, costume, sound, technology, and community interpretation have reshaped the practice over time. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the study drew on non-participant observation in Pulau Palas and Sungai Luar during Ramadan, in-depth interviews with cultural practitioners, senior performers, community organizers, and traditional musicians, and photographic and documentary sources. The data were analyzed thematically and cross-checked through source and method triangulation. The findings show that the earliest remembered form of Bagarakan relied on young men, vocal calls, and improvised percussion to wake villagers. During the later development of the practice, Mamanda-related costumes and character conventions became associated with the procession, including royal costumes and male performers portraying a king and queen, contributing to the later emergence of the recognizable Pengantin Sahur figures. Subsequent adoption of megaphones, recorded music, bridal costumes, and later large amplified sound systems and popular music further transformed its sonic, visual, and entertainment character. Contemporary changes reveal competing interpretations concerning gendered performer roles, amplified music during Ramadan, and appropriate forms of cultural continuity. The findings contribute to understanding living cultural performance by showing that Bagarakan Pengantin Sahur persists not through unchanged cultural continuity, but through ongoing negotiation among inherited practice, artistic performance, technological change, and shifting social and religious expectations.]]>
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