Santa among super-heroes in malls
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Christmas is almost here, and adults and children alike are expecting wonderful things to happen during the holiday season.
But young visitors at Mal Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta on Thursday almost certainly did not expect their favorite comic heroes to show up, inviting them to take photo's together with long-suffering mothers in tow.
The "Action with Batman" event showcases the superhero Batman and his trusty sidekick Robin, along with popular sexy action hero Catwoman.
"The Batman show starts with the superhero climbing down a rope from the fourth floor all the way down to the ground floor, where he then performs some action dramatics with Robin and Catwoman," said the mall's public relations and communications coordinator Desy Tanumihardjo.
The event -- a cooperation between Mal Taman Anggrek and Metro department store, and sponsored by Warner Bros. Inc. -- is taking place from Dec. 14 to Dec. 26.
Apart from the show, there are also teenagers choirs and photo-ops with Santa Claus to enliven Christmas celebrations at the mall.
"We had a photo session with Santa Claus on Wednesday and the kids received gifts, which were actually from their parents but they were given by Santa," said Desy.
Shopping malls all over the city are celebrating this joyous season with all kinds of merrysome events.
At nearby Mal Ciputra, also in West Jakarta, the merry season is being celebrated with a competition called the Christmas Choir Festival, in which around 20 choir groups from Jakarta and Bogor, West Java, performed and competed on Dec. 22 to win a Rp 30 million (US$3,250) prize.
Supermal Karawaci in Tangerang does not want to be left behind in keeping the Christmas spirit alive. The mall is celebrating Christmas with an event called "Snowing X'mas with Super Powers".
In cooperation with PT Mitra Adiperkasa, the mall has specially invited various action heroes, such as Power Rangers, Ninja Storm, Ultraman Cosmos and Masked Rider, from their homes in Japan for the event.
In Plaza Senayan, Central Jakarta, although there are no action performances by Batman or any other superheroes wearing tight pants, Christmas nuances can still be found as the mall is also celebrating the season with photo-ops with Santa Claus and a choral performance by the Trio Metussalah group.
Tanti, a visitor to Plaza Senayan, said she came to the mall to bring her four-year-old daughter Sandra to have a snapshot with Santa.
"She seems very excited, as you can see. Christmas only comes once a year and I want my daughter to take a photo with Santa Claus to introduce her into the spirit of the season," said the 33-year-old housewife.
Another visitor to Plaza Senayan, Hengky, 32, said he went there to bring his five-year-old son Jonathan because he kept asking about Santa Claus.
"I'm bringing him here so that he can see for himself what Santa Claus looks like and experience the thrill on his own," said Hengky.