Jakartans enjoy fun Independence games
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
If ketupat (rice cake) colors Idul Fitri celebrations and Santa Claus spreads joy during Christmas, neighborhood games have become a tradition on Independence Day.
The streets of Jakarta were quite on Tuesday morning, as offices and schools held flag-raising ceremonies to kick off the celebrations. And the streets did not get much busier during the day, as residents stayed close to home to mark the day with neighborhood gatherings and games.
"I always think of home when I see these games," said Lilis, a resident of Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday at a park on Jl. Panarukan near her house.
"I used to compete in the marble-on-spoon race when I was little," said the mother of two, who originally comes from Temanggung, Central Java.
Her daughter took part in the very same race on Tuesday morning. Other activities for children included a cracker-eating contest, five-a-side soccer games, egg-eating contests and sack races, which were also enjoyed by adults.
Standing at the edge of a small area where a two-in-one sarong race was taking place, Lilis watched five pairs of women from her neighborhood stumble their way to the finish line.
Spectators cheered and clapped as the women raced, clapping even harder when they stumbled. People took part in the fun and laughed together, and strangers became friends for the day.
"They are silly, but games are supposed to be like that, right, to make a fool of yourself," said Daniel Topley, a teacher from England who went to Jl. Jaksa in Central Jakarta to see the celebrations.
Other games on the menu for adults included eel-catching contests, pen-in-bottle races and, an all-time favorite, tug-of- war.
Fabien, a French tourist, took part in three games with the residents of Jl. Jaksa, where he is staying.
"I don't have anything like this back home. I like this, it's like family," said the 33-year-old writer, adding that he liked Indonesia so much he had decided to stay.
Another competition that can make grown-ups act like children is climbing a greased areca tree trunk to get at the prizes on top.
The Indonesian Museum of Records recognized Ancol Dreamland in North Jakarta for organizing the largest areca tree-climbing contest, which featured 1,640 participants and 205 tree trunks. Two groups of four climbers at each pole raced to grab the prizes, which included instant noodles, umbrellas and mountain bikes.
Last year, the park had 150 trees. An areca tree-climbing competition has been held annually at Ancol Dreamland to commemorate Independence Day since the 1970s.
At the amphitheater of the nearby SeaWorld, at exactly 1 p.m. seven divers raised the national flag at the bottom of a six- meter-deep aquarium.
Some 7,000 visitors gathered around the aquarium sang Berkibarlah Benderaku (Wave My Flag) during the unfurling of the flag. The underwater spectacle lasted about 10 minutes.
Forty-five ducks floating in a pond at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in East Jakarta, in which a miniature version of the archipelago is laid out, became somewhat unwilling participants in an Independence Day competition.
Eighty people swam after the ducks, which had pieces of paper on which various prizes were written attached to their wings. Spectators cheered on the swimmers, who had some trouble catching the uncooperative ducks.
As the sun sank below the horizon, the festivities ended with concerts, mostly of the dangdut variety.
Jakartans will have to wait another year for all these silly games that bring them closer together.