'Barongsai' awes Passer Baroe festival visitors

'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)