Religious Affairs Minister Says Lunar New Year and Christmas Celebrations in Indonesia Receive Enthusiastic Welcome, Religious Harmony Levels High
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar stated that religious harmony levels in Indonesia are quite high, particularly given the positive reception religious celebrations receive from the public.
He cited the 2025 Christmas and 2026 Lunar New Year celebrations as examples. “We are very happy today because I believe this is the first time we celebrated Christmas together, and today we are also celebrating Lunar New Year together, and praise be to God, it was held beautifully and festively,” said Nasaruddin at the Harmoni Imlek Nusantara 2026 event held at Lapangan Banteng, Jakarta, on Saturday (28 February 2026) evening.
“In 2025, it was also recorded in the index that Indonesia’s level of religious harmony throughout the nation’s history reached its peak this year,” he added.
He noted that this year’s Lunar New Year celebration was particularly special as it coincided with the holy month of Ramadan. The Religious Affairs Minister viewed the acculturation between Lunar New Year and Ramadan as beautifully integrated in 2026.
“The glowing red lanterns of Lunar New Year and various acculturation performances today are beautiful symbols of how these two great traditions—Lunar New Year and Ramadan—can complement each other,” he said.
Nasaruddin also appreciated the Harmoni Imlek Nusantara celebration, which he deemed a meaningful observance both spiritually and in terms of social and cultural significance.
“Today also serves as a space for celebrating diversity as well as a strategic step in cultural diplomacy to introduce the wealth of the Indonesian archipelago and strengthen the position of Indonesian talent on the global stage,” he said.
The Minister viewed Lunar New Year not merely as a religious ritual of Confucian believers, but as part of Indonesia’s national cultural heritage. He hoped that the Lunar New Year momentum would further strengthen brotherhood and togetherness amid existing differences.
“Cultivating a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect, and mutual assistance, and serving as an educational platform for young people to understand and love Nusantara culture,” he said.
Nasaruddin extended his wishes for the Lunar New Year 2577 Kongzili to all religious communities in Indonesia and all citizens celebrating it. He also prayed that the fasting of Muslims in the month of Ramadan would be blessed.
“May our fast be accepted and our Lunar New Year be filled with blessing. We are called not only to celebrate but also to reflect on ourselves—how far have we gone in spreading goodness and maintaining harmony in our collective life,” he concluded.