'Cap Go Meh' brings Jakarta's streets to life

'Cap Go Meh' brings Jakarta's streets to life

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of Jakartans flocked the streets in Kota area, West
Jakarta, on Sunday morning to witness the colorful celebration of
Cap Go Meh, the 15th day after Imlek or Chinese New Year.

The celebration was the second such event staged openly after
the government declared Imlek an official national holiday in
2002.

The parade started at the 500-year-old temple Vihara Dharma
Jaya, locally known as Toa Se Bio, on Jl. Kemenangan III. It
started with a mass prayer to Thian (God) and Cheng Goan Cin Kun
(Chinese Lord of the Sky), asking for a smooth and successful
celebration, led by head of the organizing committee Husen
Buntara Sjarifudin at 8 a.m.

"We ask God to allow us to hold a huge ceremony that will run
smoothly and successfully as it will blend various cultures and
bring different races together. We ask for harmony and peace. May
God bless us," he prayed in front of the altar of Thian.

The crowd placed their offerings at the altar, burned incense
and prayed in front of statues of the gods to solicit blessings
and prosperity.

Fifteen minutes later, a parade started with a long line of
revelers carrying six toapehkong (miniature statues of
traditional gods) followed by Chinese dances such as the Liong
(dragon dance) and Barongsai (lion dance), West Javanese
sisingaan and jangkungan dances, Reog performance from Ponorogo,
East Java, and Jakarta's ondel-ondel (giants) and tanjidor
traditional orchestra.

Since this is the Year of the Monkey, a Sun Go Kong dance
(epic hero who appears as a white monkey) was also performed.

The deafening beat of the Chinese drums and cymbals coupled
with music from gamelan orchestra produced a beautiful fusion of
sounds.

The parade began at the temple and continued through Jl. Toko
Tiga Seberang, Jl. Pintu Kecil Raya, Jl. Asemka, Kota Railway
Station, Jl. Pintu Besar Utara, Fatahillah Museum Park, Jl. Hayam
Wuruk, Jl. Gajah Mada, Pancoran (Chinatown), Glodok and back to
the temple.

Outside Fatahillah Museum, West Jakarta Mayor Sarimun
Hadisaputra officiated the celebrations that were followed with
cultural performances including the Liong and Barongsai, wushu
(Chinese martial arts) and winners of the Koko (older brother)
and Cici (older sister) pageant and the Abang None pageant.

Traffic along the streets in the area was congested for three
hours because of the performances.

"This year, 2,500 people from different parts of the country,
including Jakarta and Rengasdengklok, participated in the
celebration, making it more colorful, merrier and livelier,"
Husen told The Jakarta Post.

According to Chinese belief, Cap Go Meh is the time when the
gods descend from the heavens to grant wishes and spread good
luck. This year, Cap Go Meh fell on Feb. 5 but for security and
convenience, the celebration was held three days later.

Husen explained that the celebration was organized "as an
effort to bring all Jakartans into harmony and peace regardless
of their cultural and religious backgrounds."

"Indonesia has a lot of different cultures and races. These
are the assets that we, as citizens, need to cultivate. We may
come from different backgrounds, speak different dialects and
belong to different religions. But in the end, we all have one
country, Indonesia," he said.