Carbide cannons put the bang in Idul Fitri

Carbide cannons put the bang in Idul Fitri

By Edi Petebang and Erma S. Ranik

PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): Loud explosions rattled
hamlets along Kapuas and Landak rivers during the month of
Ramadhan. The deafening noise peaked on the eve of Idul Fitri.

Was another communal war raging there? No, the exploding
sounds came from traditional meriam karbit (carbide cannons). It
is a wooden cannon filled with carbide and it produces a loud
bang when fire is tossed into a small hole at the lower end.

Carbide cannon is popular among the Malay in Pontianak and has
become a huge attraction for visitors during Ramadhan.

Folk tales have it that the tradition began during the reign
of Syarif Abdurrahman who founded Pontianak in 1771. The sultan
fired a real iron cannon called Si Timboel when he inaugurated
Pontianak.

The loud bangs were intended to scare off evil spirits from
the forests around Pontianak so that they would not disturb the
people. The kingdom fired Si Timboel to tell Muslims to break the
fast at sunset and have their meal at dawn. The cannon lies idle
now but the ritual evolved into tradition.

People along Kapuas and Landak rivers have continued the
tradition, building cannons from wood to lift up their spirits in
the Ramadhan month.

"I have played with meriam karbit since I was a child. We
usually compete with people in Saigon village across the river,"
said Abdullah, 45, a resident of Mendaway hamlet along Kapuas
river.

A wooden carbide cannon costs about Rp 500,000 to build, which
is obviously too costly for the average resident. Therefore
people usually collaborate to share the financial burden. Money
is collected on a voluntary basis from residents, both Muslim and
non-Muslim.

"Yes it is expensive but we all agree that the tradition
should be preserved," said Achmad, a wooden cannonmaker in
Kapuas.

The materials needed to make a cannon consist of a log,
rattan, nails and carbide.

The log, with a diameter of about 50 centimeters, is split
into two with a saw. Each half is grooved and a small hole is
bored near the lower end, through which a burning stick is
entered to light the carbide and produce the bang. Then both
halves are put back together and tied with rattan string so that
they do not fall apart.

Cannons can also be made of iron, but wooden logs are commonly
used because wooden cannons produce the loudest bang.

The economic crisis apparently has not affected the carbide
cannon business. Countless cannons can be found in hamlets along
the Kapuas. Last Idul Fitri eve was enlivened with big bangs of
about 500 cannons in the area.

Some people fired old cannons they used in past Idul Fitri.

According to a regulation issued by the local government, the
firing of carbide cannons is permitted two days prior to and
three days after Idul Fitri. But the restriction has gone
unheeded.

Not all people love the deafening sound of carbide cannons.

"In fact I hate it but it's OK because the festivity takes
place only once a year," said Ameng, a local Chinese who lives in
Kapuas.

In 1995, Pontianak Police chief Lt. Col. J. Soewarto banned
the cannons on the grounds that they disturb the peace and
violate the 1951 Emergency Law. Twelve cannons were destroyed in
a police operation.

The harsh action angered Malays in Pontianak, who condemned it
as "arrogant".

"The use of the Emergency Law is inappropriate because it is
outdated," said Rousdy, a Malay community leader.

Then Malay community leaders established a forum which aimed
at preserving the long-held tradition.

Now the provincial government sponsors carbide cannon
competitions every year to attract tourists.