Fishermen's Festival brings joy and happiness to all

By Mulkan Salmona

PELABUHAN RATU, West Java (JP): The fish market, generally crowded by fisher folk and fish traders doing their business, assumed a really new look that morning. It was spotlessly clean and fragrant, a contrast to its usually dirty state and the clinging putrid smell. Chairs were neatly arranged in rows and a podium was placed in one corner.

One by one the local people came either in their private vehicles or by minibus, crowding the fish market. They came not only from Sukabumi, the nearest main town, but also from Jakarta, Bogor and Bandung. Sidewalk vendors also came in great numbers as they did not want to miss out on this opportunity to make a killing. In a very short time, the place was filled to capacity.

Along the quay of the fishing harbor, the fishermen, usually busy unloading their catch from their boats, were this time busy cleaning and decorating their them with a variety of accessories. There were flags, banners, stickers provided by beverage, cigarette and medicine producers, plastic wrappers, young coconut leaves or just about anything else that could be used as a decoration.

The people were dressed in their best clothes. Their ladies' attire was colorful and their faces were prettily made up. That day, April 7, 2001, was a special day for the fishing community because it was the day on which they would celebrate the peak event of the 41st Fishermen's Thanksgiving, also known as the Fishermen's Festival, an occasion which would be attended by Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

While the locals were busy looking for the best place from which to watch the event and security officers were trying to prevent some of the locals from entering the site of the ceremony, the procession of the 2001 Fishermen's King and Queen, both in their golden carriages, suddenly appeared from the direction of Jl. Siliwangi.

The handsome King and the beautiful Queen, wearing traditional Pasundan attire, beamed radiantly at the audience. Standing beside the golden carriage were four court officials each carrying a truncheon and following the carriage were dozens of beautiful ladies-in-waiting in green, which is believed to be the favorite color of the Queen of the South Sea. In this event, the Fishermen's King and Queen were likened to the rulers of Pelabuhan Rabu and the South Coast.

After the procession arrived at the venue of the ceremony, the 41st Fishermen's Thanksgiving ceremony kicked off. It began with the reading out of the genealogical chronicle of Pelabuhan Ratu by a community leader named Ki Lengser.

In his unique and humorous manner, Ki Lengser narrated this chronicle before the guests, including the Minister and the regent of Sukabumi, Maman Sulaeman. Then he told the soldiers carrying banners made of palm fronds and the ladies-in-waiting to dance. With their perfect movements, they danced, barefoot, despite the fairly hot weather.

Afterwards, Ki Lengser asked the Fishermen's King and Queen to greet the Minister and asked him to observe the offerings like the head of a buffalo, flowers, roast chickens, rice cones and so forth. Later he invited the Minister and some other guests board a special boat. They sailed out for a few kilometers to throw the offerings into the sea.

Upon seeing the guests of honor board the special boat, the locals jumped into the boats waiting alongside the quay. Most of them tried to scramble aboard boats carrying offerings as the local belief is that if someone can get hold of the offerings, he will have good fortune. When everybody was on board, the boats set sail slowly out to sea.

After a few hours' sailing, the boats came to the pre- determined spot where they were to throw the offerings into the sea. At the same time, five turtles taken from the Pangumbahan area were set free.

Before the offerings were thrown into the sea, the locals vied with each other to grab chunks, causing some of them to fall into the sea in the process. This was no cause for alarm as everybody laughed and they began to throw one another into the sea. The fishermen's festival truly brought happiness and joy to all those involved.