Non-Chinese vendors capitalize on `Imlek'
Non-Chinese vendors capitalize on `Imlek'
Evi Maryani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Dedi, a Sundanese from Tasikmalaya, West Java, has been a
vendor in Glodok, Jakarta's Chinatown, for the past three years.
On regular days, he sells only toys. But as Imlek (Chinese New
Year) approaches, he has left the toys in his house and instead
sells Imlek-related items, such as ang pau (money envelopes that
are supposed to bring good luck to their recipients), Chinese
calendars and firecrackers.
Speaking in a strong Sundanese accent, he said that he had
started selling Imlek goods seasonally since the Year of the
Snake, which was in 2001.
"Alhamdullilah (thanks be to God), every Imlek I earn more
profit than I normally do. These seasonal profits can amount to
twice my regular profit," he said.
Since 2000, when then president Abdurrahman Wahid took serious
steps to allow the revival of Chinese culture and religion in
Indonesia, the Chinese New Year celebration, which had been
banned by the old regime, once again emerged as a public
festivity.
During the time that Chinese culture and the Confucian (Kong
Hu Cu) religion were banned, Imlek celebrations, which usually
involved performing the barongsai (lion dance), were held only
within the enclosures of Kong Hu Cu temples. Imlek merchandise
was sold mostly by Chinese people.
Now, however, barongsai shows are performed in public places
and are watched and enjoyed by all segments of society,
regardless of race or creed.
Consequently, activities related to the celebration are no
longer exclusive to the Chinese community, but have also become a
source of business and fortune for others, too.
Another vendor, Nining, a Javanese from Solo, Central Java,
acknowledged that during Imlek her daily earnings could reach Rp
1 million (about US$112).
"My regular daily income through the sale of VCDs is about Rp
700,000. But it increases every Imlek season as I also sell Imlek
bric-a-brac," she said.
While Nining was talking, a vendor with a Javanese appearance
was bargaining, beside her table, with a buyer, an old Chinese
man, over a string of decorative mini Chinese red lanterns.
In 1998, a tragic year for Chinese communities in Indonesia,
such a sight could rarely be observed, as Imlek became an
exclusive festivity.