Hotels, malls and cafes light up for Lunar New Year

Hotels, malls and cafes light up for Lunar New Year

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Welcome to the hustle and bustle of the Chinese
Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5 this year.

Festivities this year are made possible by the revocation on
Jan. 18 of Presidential Instruction No. 41/1967, which had
restricted the observance of Chinese religious and cultural
practices in public since it was passed.

Although the law, which institutionally repressed Chinese
culture, has been revoked, in practice Indonesians of Chinese
descent cannot yet freely throw lavish parties for, essentially,
security reasons.

The minority Chinese community in Indonesia has been
traditionally resented and envied for its economic clout, and has
often become the main target of people's anger in times of mass
rioting. Smoldering conflicts and the lingering economic crisis
across the country have prompted the government to caution the
Chinese community against extravagant Lunar New Year festivities.

And the Chinese community, apparently, are heeding the call.
Celebrations will be low-key and confined to homes and certain
places.

But calls for low-key celebrations are not entirely being
heeded by hotels, shopping malls and cafes in Jakarta. They are
holding various Chinese-themed promotions to attract the wealthy.

At Sheraton Media Hotel & Towers in Gunung Sahari, Central
Jakarta, for example, the main attraction is a 30-meter long
golden dragon in the hotel's main lobby. The dragon, which took a
month to make and will be on display until Feb. 20, has found its
way into the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI).

"Many people have come to have a close look at our golden
dragon. For the hotel it will have good impact on our occupancy
rate and increase the number of people visiting our restaurants,"
Sheraton's public relations manager Henny Puspitasari told The
Jakarta Post.

She said the hotel had been preparing for the celebration of
Chinese New Year since last year.

"This year Chinese New Year is a special one, the Year of the
Golden Dragon. So it deserves special attention. The Chinese
believe the year will bring lots of blessings, luck and
prosperity," Henny said.

The Year of the Golden Dragon, the Chinese astrological symbol
which appears once every 60 years, is believed to be an
auspicious one for luck, businesses, weddings and births.

She said the hotel was well aware that many of its guests were
Indonesians of Chinese descent who would be celebrating the
Chinese New Year.

"Every year, we celebrate Christmas, New Year and Idul Fitri,
and with no more restrictions on celebrating Chinese New Year, we
are preparing our best show," Henny said.

Apart from the golden dragon, the hotel is also holding a food
promotion that will last until Feb. 13, and a painting and
ceramic exhibition that will end on Feb. 20.

This year, many Indonesians will get their first chance to a
barongsai, or a lion dance, which for years could not be
performed in public due to governmental restrictions.

The Mandarin Oriental hotel on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central
Jakarta, for one, will stage a lion dance by a troupe from Bogor
on the evening of Feb. 4 to mark the beginning of the Chinese New
Year. It is also holding a Chinese food promotion from Feb. 4 to
Feb. 7.

"Many people have never seen a real lion dance with real
dancers and martial arts movements ... Some people have had to
travel as far as Hong Kong or even Shanghai to watch a lion
dance. Now, they can watch it here," said Mandarin's director of
public relations Ria Leimena.

Jakarta Hilton International Hotel on Jl. Gatot Subroto,
Central Jakarta, will also stage a lion dance in its restaurants
on Feb. 5, at the end of its two day Chinese cuisine promotion.

"After performing at the Lotus restaurant, the dancers will
walk to our Garden restaurant so it's not only restaurant
customers who can enjoy it, but also hotel guests," said Hilton's
senior public relations officer Nieke P. Handayani.

A dragon will also welcome and entertain guests at the Regent
Hotel's lobby in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Feb. 4.

For two days, on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5, guests at the Regent's
Seasons Cafe can enjoy their meal while watching lion and dragon
dances.

But, for those who are curious but cannot afford the luxury of
going to hotels, they can still enjoy lion dances for free at
major shopping malls.

At Mal Ciputra in Grogol, West Jakarta, lion dances will be
staged for the public on two consecutive days, Feb. 3 and Feb. 4.
The celebration is also a part of the mall's month-long promotion
to mark its 7th anniversary, lasting until March 5.

"This dance is a unique cultural performance, but it's been
banned for a long time. Now, we're trying to present it to the
public simply as entertainment," said the mall's senior event
officer Arief Hidayat.

For the promotion, Mal Ciputra is targeting families.

"Usually, people see lion dances only in movies, not in
reality. So many people don't know or have never taken a close
look at it. While it was banned, many people were curious. And as
the government has lifted the restrictions, we can present it so
people can see it for themselves," Arief said.

Other malls, such as Atrium Plaza in Senen, Central Jakarta,
are also decorating their venues to celebrate the Chinese New
Year. Atrium Plaza has organized an Imlek (Chinese New Year)
Festival from Jan. 25 to Feb. 7.

Unique

Apart from lion dances, some hotels and cafes are planning to
do something different to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Sari Pan Pacific on Jl. MH Thamrin is holding a unique
exhibition presenting art and crafts that show Chinese influence
in Indonesia as part of its Golden Dragon 2000 cultural festival.
The festival, which opened on Jan. 28 with the presentation of
dragon dance by a troupe from Tangerang, will end on Feb. 7.

"We are taking part in the celebration of Chinese New Year
because, like it or not, the Chinese comprise a vibrant
community. Chinese and Indonesian cultures have influenced each
other and this cannot be overlooked," said Sari Pan Pacific's
marketing and communication director Satria Wira.

The influence, he said, could easily be seen in antique
furniture, clothing, food and batik.

"Everyday, we have it with us, be it in our clothing, food or
batik," Satria said.

For Chinese food lovers, Sari Pan Pacific is offering a wide
selection of dishes, both modern and traditional, including
favorites such as Peking duck, Chinese roast chicken, Sechuan hot
and sour soup and more besides, at its Fiesta restaurant.

Party lovers can also go to wwwok! cafe in Kemang, South
Jakarta, for a Chinese-style party on Feb. 4.

"We are asking all our guests to come in style by wearing
something Chinese," wwwok!'s marketing officer Ade Sri said.

The party is also held to celebrate the cafe's first
anniversary and it is targeting those between 15 years and 35
years old.

"We are using the Chinese New Year as our theme because the
timing is right for our cafe's concept, East meets East."