Thousands in Cianjur and Sukabumi Enthusiastically Join Torchlight Procession for Islamic New Year

A light drizzle did not dampen the spirits of residents in Cianjur Regency, West Java, as they took part in a torchlight procession to welcome the Islamic New Year 1 Muharram 1448 Hijriah on Monday evening (15/6). The event was also attended by Cianjur Regent Mohammad Wahyu Ferdian, members of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), and the public. The activity began at Prawatasari Square, with participants parading along main roads before concluding at Cianjur’s town square. Regent Mohammad Wahyu Ferdian stated that the Hijriah new year serves as a reminder to continuously strive for personal betterment, strengthen faith, foster brotherhood, and cultivate care for others. He invited the entire community to harness the spirit of migration as positive energy to contribute to building a more advanced, harmonious, and blessed region. ‘Let us welcome the Islamic New Year with new hope, new steps, and new spirit,’ Wahyu said. In Sukabumi Regency, thousands of residents also joined a torchlight procession to mark the Islamic New Year 1448 Hijriah on Monday evening, parading through the streets of Palabuhanratu. Sukabumi Regent Asep Japar noted that the torchlight parade is an annual tradition to welcome the Islamic New Year while also strengthening community togetherness. ‘The festivity of the Islamic New Year commemoration must be carried out with responsibility and discipline,’ said Asjap, as he is familiarly known, during the event. The torchlight procession was the culmination of a series of communal prayers previously held by the Sukabumi Regency Government at the Palabuhanratu Grand Mosque. The activities began with a mass recitation of the Quran (khatam kubro), supplications (istigasah), and a religious lecture as a form of reflection on the Hijriah new year. Asjap expressed hope that the Islamic New Year commemoration in Sukabumi Regency would continue to grow each year with innovation and broader community participation. The local government encouraged residents to use the moment of spiritual migration as inspiration for self-improvement and to increase their contribution to regional development. ‘May the spirit of migration drive spiritual and social transformation towards a Mubarakah society—one that is advanced, excellent, cultured, and blessed,’ he concluded.