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Although the law, which institutionally repressed Chinese culture, has been revoked, in practice Indonesians of Chinese descent cannot yet freely throw lavish parties for, essentially, security reasons.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