'Barongsai' awes Passer Baroe festival visitors

JAKARTA (JP): Pasar Baru shopping complex in Central Jakarta turned into a venue for the Barongsai Chinese lion dance during its three-day shopping and cultural festival over the weekend.

At least five groups from several districts of the capital displayed their talent in front of thousands of visitors starting on Friday.

The Passer Baroe festival, in which the beautification of one of the city's oldest market and its surroundings was on view, was the curtain-raiser for the launching of the Awakening Jakarta Tourism Image campaign, which was officially kicked off at the festival on Sunday by Governor Sutiyoso.

The festival presented a series of attractions including musical performances, street artist shows, a photo exhibition and the presence of decorated boats in the now garbage-free Ciliwung River at the entrance gate to the market.

But visitors, traders and even shop attendants at the busy market had eyes and ears only for the noisy sounds of the musical instruments and stunning moves of the colorful Barongsai dancers, most of whom were not of Chinese descent.

That the lion dance was the most popular entertainment during the festival may have been because the other events were nothing new to visitors, particularly Indonesians.

The Chinese-in-origin performance was banned for the past three decades in this country during the Soeharto administration.

The Barongsai groups performing on Saturday and Sunday stopped in front of some of the shops, hoping for angpau (a red envelop with money inside) from shop owners.

With a large escort of children and scores of enthusiast visitors, the groups also stopped at several spots in the avenue to entertain and, of course, look for any kindhearted people to hand over angpau or money without the envelope.

Many onlookers, particularly elderly people and children of Chinese descent, happily threw angpau and Rp 1,000, Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 notes to the performing groups.

"It seems to me that the performance is a Chinese way to beg on the street ... in a professional manner," 17-year-old Ade of Tanah Sareal, Tambora, West Jakarta, commented on Saturday.

During Saturday's performance, two Barongsai groups -- one from Jatinegara, East Jakarta, and the other from Cipete, South Jakarta -- paraded along the avenue of the newly shopping area.

"It's a comeback of Chinese tradition in the country, thanks to the reform movement.

"Hopefully, ethnic Chinese here can find a proper place for themselves in this country so the majority (indigenous) will respect them too," Hasanuddin of Plumpang, North Jakarta, said.

Ethnic Chinese in other countries usually hold such performances at every festival.

Ronald Sjarif, owner of Kong Ha Hong Barongsai dance group which performed on Sunday, said: "Shop owners or passersby who want to be blessed usually give angpau to the Barongsai group."

Shop owners said the festival helped increase their earnings.

"I think such events should be continued," Yanto from Indah Nam jewelry shop said.

Another shop owner said: "It (the Barongsai dance) will revive Pasar Baru's past uniqueness."

In the past, the shopping complex, once called Passer Baroe during the Dutch colonial era, was the main entertainment area on Chinese and Dutch holidays, during which Barongsai and traditional Betawi musical performance Tanjidor were always performed.

Separately, consultant for Pasar Baru revitalization project Rai Pratadaja voiced disappointment that shop owners did not fully support the event.

"For instance, we asked them to decorate their shops, clean the path in front of their buildings but they didn't do it," he said.

Rai also said that the lack of enthusiasm became obvious when shop owners appeared unwilling to support the construction of a canopy along the 575-meter Pasar Baru avenue.

"It was planned that the street would be totally covered by a canopy on Sunday, but it fell through because not all of the shop owners were willing to pay for the construction," he said.

By Sunday less than half of the street had been covered by the canopy, which was intended for pedestrians' comfort.

At the same time, 263 street vendors at the site who were asked to suspend business reminded the authorities to keep their promise by allowing them to reopen soon. (ind/bsr/01)