Jakartans enjoy fun Independence games
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.