Taking pride of place

Taking pride of place

Shared pride and joy emanated from the faces of hundreds of women
and men gathered at Lake Toba as they sang their "national
anthems", the folk songs Martabe, O Tano Batak (The Land of
Batak) and Tao Nauli (Beautiful Lake).

It was Thursday's opening of the four-day Pesta Rakyat Danau
Toba (Lake Toba People's Festival) at the biggest lake in the
country, located in Parapat subdistrict, North Sumatra.

The choir reflected the spirit of unity between the Batak
subgroups: Simalungun, Toba, Pakpak (Dairi) and Karo. And the
feeling of togetherness was reflected in the lake, its vast
expanse visible from the five regencies of North Tapanuli, Toba
Samosir, Simalungun, Dairi and Karo.

On the theme of Kembalikan Danau Tobaku (Give Back My Lake
Toba), it was aimed at building up Batak culture at its roots and
also showing that it is not only Bali that is worthy of visitors.

The festival featured a wide range of arts and sports
activities, such as the ancient dance Tortor Sawan, traditional
martial art of marmonsak and the Solu Bolon canoe competition.

The festival also presented the traditional opera Operete Arga
Da Bona Nipinasa, telling about a successful Toba man who returns
from abroad to help develop his hometown. With a cast of 232
artists, the opera broke the record for the largest performance
in the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI).

Unfortunately, rain drenched the arena on the second day,
causing several events to be canceled or delayed. Toward the
evening, the rain ceased and more people came to see the free
entertainment. The excitement reemerged as the festivities
continued. For all those in attendance, the message was Horas!
(warm greetings) -- JP