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.