Temples gear up to welcome 'Imlek'
Temples gear up to welcome 'Imlek'
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Several vihara (Buddhist temples) around Glodok, West Jakarta,
have been gearing up to welcome Imlek or the Chinese New Year
that will fall on Jan. 22 this year. Several ethnic Chinese
families were seen performing religious services in the temples.
The oldest and biggest temple Dharma Bhakti on Jl. Petak
Sembilan, built in 1650 during the Dutch colonial rule, had been
cleaned and repainted by workers although it still welcomed the
community.
"We have to clean the statue of every god and every room in
the temple carefully. There are hundreds of statues, including
the Buddha, actually. We have the chance to do it today because
fewer people come to the temple as according to our belief the
gods went to heaven two days ago," said Herman, a member of the
temple management.
He explained that on the 26th day of the final month of the
lunar year, the gods go to heaven to report to the King of the
gods on people's behavior on earth. They will return to the earth
on the fourth day of the new year to supervise the people.
At least 30 towering red candles, more than two-meters high,
stood in the main worship room, ready to be lit for the new year.
They were contributed by the Dharma Bhakti community.
"My family and I come here to pray in the old temple. I wish
we could celebrate the new year here but I must return home,"
said Arjuna, a Chinese Buddhist from Palembang, South Sumatra.
Chinese-Indonesians are able to celebrate Imlek after former
president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid issued Presidential Decree
No. 6/2000 that revoked Presidential Instruction No. 14/1967 on
Chinese religion, tradition and beliefs.
Since the issuance of the decree, the local Chinese community
have been free to perform the Barongsay (lion dance) and Liong
(dragon dance) in public places.
Gus Dur also made the Chinese New Year a recognized national
day before the government officially declared it a national
holiday last year.
Other nearby temples of Dharma Jaya, Hu Tek Bio, Dharma Sakti
and Kong Wa Sih were also a hive of activity.
The 250-year-old Dharma Jaya, the second biggest temple in the
area, welcomed the new year without special preparations.
"We want to celebrate Imlek in a modest way. We only clean the
statues in the hope that we can achieve our important mission
which is to clean our hearts," said Hertanto, the security
officer of Dharma Jaya.
He estimated around 1,000 visitors would come to the temple
starting Wednesday evening until the busiest hour at midnight and
continue to the morning.
"A temple like Dharma Bhakti will be visited by more than
2,000 people from all over Jakarta," he said.
An old lady was seen chanting at the Hu Tek Bio temple in
front of one of the gods. She raised both hands above her head,
holding incense sticks, while praying. As she sat on the floor,
she closed her eyes and held her breath.
"I hope the gods can hear me although they have already gone
to heaven. I pray for my son, that he can recover from drug
addiction in the coming year. I also beg the gods to bless my
daughter who will get married soon. I hope she will find
happiness," she said.
Outside the temples, dozens of beggars from infants to elderly
people waited patiently for alms under the hot sun.
"I suggest the media report on those beggars outside the
temple. There will be thousands of them on Wednesday. We really
hope the government can do something for them," said Hu Tek Bio's
chief priest, I Beng Hui.