Indonesians celebrate Christmas far from home

Indonesians celebrate Christmas far from home

Prapti Widinugraheni, Contributor, Perth, Australia

T'was two weeks before Christmas. Fairy lights adorn streets and
houses, schools prepare end-of-year shows, holidays are planned
and every commercial outlet promises the most spectacular
Christmas event ever.

It's the busiest time of year for everyone, but busiest of all
are the shopping malls. It may be the time of year to be giving,
but first comes the act of buying.

The most common conversation in the past week was, "Have you
done your Christmas shopping?" And the typical answer would be
(after rolling the eyes or making an exasperated grimace), "Done
most of it. It's crazy at the shops, people everywhere, but you
just have to do it."

It's unbearable, but the outcome -- a smile on the face of
loved ones receiving the gifts -- will be worth the time, money
and effort spent.

That is what retailers want people to believe.

To me and, perhaps, to the other 5,000 Indonesians who land in
Perth each summer, the concept is alien. Like most people
celebrating Christmas in Indonesia, I grew up believing that
giving and receiving presents were mere sideshows. It's the
Christmas spirit that counts, so cheap towels and generic T-
shirts made for acceptable Christmas gifts.

Now, I learn, Christmas spirit and spirituality aren't enough.
Christmas -- in true Australian style -- involves much more than
that. You must go on a serious shopping frenzy.

First, I was told, you had to think about the person you are
giving the present to. A Christmas gift must be personal, right
and proper. If you must give him a coffee mug, don't give any old
mug. Get one with his favorite cartoon character on it -- and
make sure he doesn't have one already.

Second, avoid giving pretty but useless things. Not only will
they add to clutter, you would also be remembered as the one who
gave that undesirable item for Christmas.

Last but not least, do not fret if this means you must buy
slightly pricey items; rest assured that everyone does so too
this time of year. Of course you can only hope that in return,
you too will receive something that's neither junk nor tacky.
I soon associated Christmas with stress.

It was a relief when I discovered that going shopping mad was
not the only thing happening this time of year.

Christmas is also a time when Perth's numerous suburbs stage
choirs by candlelight, organize special performances and hold
other special events.

In the hip port town of Fremantle, about 20 minutes south of
Perth, there was a Christmas concert, candlelight carols and
scores of ongoing art exhibitions.

The Perth Zoo had "Carols, Candles and Creatures" and "Happy
Zoo Year" shows while Kings Park Botanic Gardens held an outdoor
performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In Perth's city center, there was a Christmas nativity
performance with live camels and a New Year's Eve celebration on
the nightclub strip of Northbridge.

Then there were outdoor cinemas, a Christmas pageant and major
cricket, basketball and soccer matches.

One of the most common features of outdoor events is an
invitation to bring picnic hampers, rugs and comfortable
collapsible chairs.

After all, Christmas in the southern hemisphere is a summer
affair. And more so in Perth, where clear blue skies, balmy
summer nights and abundant sunlight is a norm. In fact, most
Perth people spend Christmas and New Year's days outdoors,
picnicking in a park and tending to the barbecue.

Dani Darudana, an Indonesian who has lived here for 21 years,
says most of her Christmas and New Year's days involve lazing on
the shores of the Swan River, which runs through Perth, with
champagne glass in one hand and picnic food in the other.

"Sometimes we watch fireworks in Gloucester Park after dinner.
But this year, we're planning a hideaway at the Esplanade Hotel
in Fremantle," she says.

Dani's teenage kids are likely to hang out in Northbridge for
an alcohol-free "old and new year's" party.

Heny Suhartini, who works as a checkout staff, prefers
watching the fireworks in Kings Park. Some years, like many
Indonesians visiting Perth, she goes to the Burswood
International Resort Casino, which not only operates a 24-hour
gambling resort, but a theater, golf course, convention center,
indoor stadium and nightclub as well.

Heny has lived here for 10 years and resides with her
Australian husband in one of Perth's northern suburbs.

"We've never spent New Year's Eve in the city. I don't think
we'd enjoy it because there's bound to be drunks and lots of
trouble. So we avoid that," she says.

Having a barbecue with close friends has become their
Christmas Day ritual.

"Australians are like insects; when it's cold, they become
inactive, but when the weather gets hot, they swarm outdoors,"
she joked.

For some people, Christmas and New Year's is not all about
partying. Christy Imam, who studies marketing and public
relations at Curtin University of Technology, sees it as an
opportunity for work. And what better incentive than to get
double pay for the long hours and hard labor done at a time when
everybody else is unwinding.

"I've lived in Perth for four years and I've always worked
during the Christmas holidays, except in my third year when I
went home to Jakarta," she said.

Christy has a part-time waitressing job at the Parmelia Hilton
hotel, which is frequented by Garuda crew and Japanese tourists.
This year she waitressed again.

New Year's Day will probably consist of a barbecue with
friends, she says.

"It's easy and fun. And for us students, it's the most
affordable option," Christy quips.

Tight-budgeted foreign students are bad news for retailers and
Australian-style Christmas celebrations. But that might be what
it takes to have Christmas celebrated the way it should be --
with just a bit of spirit, spirituality and not much else.