Chinese enjoy happier New Year's celebrations

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For most Indonesians of Chinese descent, such as Widyawati, this year's Chinese New Year has been much happier than last year's, mainly because there were no floods.

"I'm exhausted right now, but after all the visits from relatives and friends, it's been worth it. The celebration was much better this year," Widyawati, whose Chinese name is Chu Tuan Hwa, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Widyawati, 60, who lives in Rawabunga, East Jakarta, said that she had received numerous visits from relatives and friends over the weekend.

Her usually quiet home was lively on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the arrival of relatives and friends to join the family get-together.

"More relatives and friends have come this year to celebrate the New Year with our family. The visitors have been coming and going in a steady stream," said Widyawati, who added that she always invited close friends and loved ones over to eat a special course of Chinese dishes which she prepared.

Widyawati said she had spent more than Rp 1.2 million just to prepare the special New Year's dishes, including ikan bandeng (milk fish) and babi hong (cooked pork mixed with prawns and ginger).

In addition to the special dishes, Widyawati said she had to fork out another Rp 2 million to give money to the younger members of the family.

During New Year's, the Chinese traditionally visit their families and are expected to present teenagers and children with angbao (red envelopes containing money).

"I got Rp 100,000 (US$11) this year from my grandmother. Last year, I only got Rp 50,000," said Widyawati's grandson, Sandy, a student of Gunadharma University's School of Economy.

Widyawati said New Year's celebrations ran smoothly without any significant problems.

She said that the heavy rains during New Year's Eve on Friday, were a symbol of good fortune and blessings to come in the days ahead.

Widyawati said last year's celebrations were gloomy as flooding disrupted the festivities in most parts of the city.

Torrential rains in January and February last year resulted in the severe flooding of many buildings, including places of worship where many Chinese-Indonesians congregate.

"We couldn't enjoy New Year's last year as my mother-in-law, who was staying with us, had a terrible accident so we had to take her to the hospital," she said.

After she was hospitalized for a month, her mother-in-law, who was suffering from a serious head injury, passed away, Widyawati said, her eyes brimming with tears.

This year's Chinese New Year is the first time it is celebrated as a national holiday following a declaration from President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The holiday was banned for more than three decades during the administration of former president Soeharto. However, Chinese- Indonesians are able to celebrate publicly, thanks to the revocation of Soeharto's policy by former president Abdurrahman Wahid in 2000.