Festive Chinese New Year Celebrations all across Indonesia
As
Indonesia counts a large population of those with Chinese descent, most
of whom have lived here for generations, Chinese New Year - here known
as Imlek - is celebrated with lots of fanfare in many townships
across the archipelago. Chinese New Year has also been declared a
national holiday, which this year falls on 19 February 2015. While celebrations continue for 15 days culminating on 5 March , known as Cap Go Meh.
On New Year's eve, Chinese families
whose members may be living far apart, make it point to gather at New
Year’s eve family dinner. The next morning they will all go to the
temple to pray and burn incense
and joss sticks. Preparing for this auspicious occasion, temples have
been spruced up and decorated with red lanterns and huge red candles.
During the two weeks celebrations, groups of lion dancers prance around
the city accompanied by loud drums and cymbals. In response, people
give red packets of money or ang pao in its mouth, to receive
good luck from the lions. Meanwhile at parades, athletic dancers carry
colorful "dragons" zig-zaging along the streets that are crowded with
onlookers.
In the city of
Semarang, capital of the province of
Central Java,- where Chinese Imperial Emissary
Admiral Zheng He (here
better known as Cheng Ho ) first set foot on Java, - its Chinatown
known as Pasar Semawis is crowded when the annual Pasar Imlek or Chinese
New Year market is held here from
4-16 February selling
decorations, special New Year clothes, knick-knacks and foodstuff for
families to prepare for the big day. Then the market is transformed into
a festive arena where open air stages are set for performances along
Gang Pinggir and Srawung, held from
14-17 February. Here
the public can enjoy typical Chinese dances, music and cultural
performances like the Wayang Potehi, Gambang Semarang, Twa Kok Djwee,
barongsai, toya games and even Wushu.
Meanwhile in the city of
Solo, also
in Central Java, Chinese New Year is celebrated around Pasar Gede
Market near the Tien Kok Sie temple. Both Chinese descendents as well as
locals celebrate together starting with the traditional Javanese Grebeg
Sudiro held
from15-18 February, just prior to Chinese
New Year celebrations which falls on 19 February. At the pinnacle of
Grebeg Sudiro people are encouraged to grab vegetables and fruits from
the cone-shaped mountain of produce that are piled up high, and which
has earlier been paraded around town. The tradition of grabbing and even
fighting for a piece of produce is based on the Javanese teaching that
says :
ora babah ora mamah, meaning there is
no food without struggle.
Meanwhile, in neighboring
Yogyakarta, this Chinese New Year celebration promises to be even
more festive. Named the Chinese Cultural Week the event is held from
1-5 March 2015 in conjunction with Cap Go Meh. Carrying the theme: Knitting together Cultures, Creating
Unity,
people will be shown the acculturation of Chinese heritage into
Javanese life. Throughout the week there will be exhibitions, Mandarin
language competitions, karaoke sessions at Kampung Ketandan, and more
fun, music and dance extending to the Suryatmajan arterial road.
Meanwhile, in the mountain cities of
Bandung and
Sukabumi in
West Java,
people will also not pass Chinese New Year without celebrations with
the mandatory lion and dragon dances along busy streets, of course after
morning prayers at the temples.
In
Jakarta,
capital of Indonesia, Chinese New Year is celebrated around China town,
at around Petak Sembilan and Glodok area, where stands the Yin De Yuan
temple
, the oldest Chinesed temple in Jakarta built in 1650. Malls will be festooned with gay Chinese New Year decorations, and people will flock to
restaurants to enjoy Chinese New Year meals with the whole family.
While, on the island of Sumatra, starting from the city of
Medan in
the North, the large Chinese population here will celebrate this year
with the Gebyar Imlek Fair, - or the Chinese New Year Fiesta from
30 January to 8 February.
Although Medan is known to have long been a favored port of call for
Chinese merchant vessels since centuries, yet this year for its
celebrations Medan has opted for the more trendy and modern, appealing
to the
youth.
There will be rock, jazz and pop music, as well as fashion shows,
modern dance festival and a cosplay festival. There will of course be an
array of delicious spreads of seafood, a favorite of Medan.
In
South Sumatra, the city of
Palembang in the Dempo Chinatown, the Imlek Festival will be held from
28 February – 4 March,
where people will be spoilt with a culinary exhibition and a number of
competitions of traditional boats and dragon boat races.
Since Palembang was once the seat of the
great Srivijaya kingdom, when Chinese merchants were wont to visit here
and Buddhist scholars made this their place of sojourn and learning
before proceeding to India, Palembang holds many traces of Chinese
cultural heritage that can be seen from the architecture of houses,
clothes, medicines, graves, and of course cuisine.
At Cap Go Meh a host of people take boats to the island of
Kamaro where is an old Chinese temple, and a center for prayers at Chinese New Year.
On the islands of
Batam and
Bintan, just opposite Singapore, people will flock to the new huge Buddhist temples on Batam and near
Tanjung Pinang on Bintan. Devotees will come not only from the hundreds of surrounding islands but also from Singapore and Malaysia.
But arguably the pinnacle of celebrations of Chinese New Year in Indonesia is the
Cap Go Meh at
Singkawang in West Kalimantan, known as the greatest Chinese New Year event in the region. This is because here the age-old tradition of
tatung
is still followed, when men, women and children will meditate, go into
a trance then pierce themselves with sharp lances but strangely remain
completely unharmed. These colorfully dressed tatungs are believed to
ward off evil spirits and keep the city and the area safe from disasters
and illnesses through the coming year. The parade of
tatungs will take place on
5 March at Cap Go Meh, starting from Diponegoro road, pass Jalan Sejahtera, Budi Utomo, Setia Budi, finishing at Jalan Niaga.
