Year of Monkey welcomed with peace, creativity
Year of Monkey welcomed with peace, creativity
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Gong Xi Fa Chai! Chinese-Indonesians across the country made this
Chinese New Year a special one on Thursday, their second since
the government declared the event an official national holiday in
2002.
Compared with the more muted celebrations last year, the Imlek
celebrations on Thursday were cheerful -- and louder -- with many
other ethnic groups joining the Chinese and getting into the
spirit of the mischievous Year of the Monkey.
From Wednesday afternoon until early Thursday, the Chinese
community in Greater Jakarta poured into brightly-decorated
temples in the capital.
"I wish for a better fortune this year. I hope my electronics
business can expand into other areas," Budiman, a Glodok Plaza
electronic shop owner, said after praying at the Dharma Bhakti
temple in West Jakarta.
"But most importantly, I hope I can get married to my fiance
this year," he said.
Festivities on the street and at leisure parks also
highlighted the ancient tradition.
Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) manager Paulus Pangka said
the liong (dragon) and barongsai (lion) dances performed on
Thursday in a tank at Seaworld Indonesia, North Jakarta, were on
the record as the first in the country.
In Bandung, West Java, the celebration was marked by the
creativity of children who painted an enormous picture of a
dragon.
At least 448 children aged between eight and 12 painted the
picture, which stretched close to 320 meters.
In Semarang, Central Java, thousands of children, teenagers,
and elder people packed the Cia Gwee 2555 Semawis Market on Jl.
Wotgandul Timur.
Decorated with many red lanterns and tents, it all got even
more exciting with the performance of the barongsai and wushu
martial arts.
In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, dozens of red oil lamps neatly
lined a corner of the Eka Dharma Manggala Temple, giving the
large building a merry appearance.
The smell of incense mixed with the aroma of kue keranjang
(New Year cake), cooked a day prior to the Imlek celebrations.
City resident Liong, 67, was one of many descending on the
temple on Wednesday afternoon to pray and see first-hand the
preparations for the Imlek celebration.
He had lived in Kendari for a long time and said he was happy
the Chinese community was now free to celebrate Imlek.
In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Chinese-Indonesians celebrated
the New Year by visiting their families -- the same way relatives
get together during Islamic Idul Fitri or Christmas.
However, many people celebrated the event by going to the
shopping malls, Antara reported.
The situation in Batam was rather different -- as most of the
shopping centers in the city were closed. Activities in the area
came to a virtual halt because most businesspeople were
celebrating Imlek with their families.
Rizal, a sidewalk vendor, said that business activity in the
city had been decreasing during the past few days.
But while the commercial district was silent, many residents
packed the local "Klenteng Windsor" temple.
In Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, Chinese-Indonesians used the
New Year to strengthen relations between the Chinese community
and other groups.
The Chinese-Indonesians community would organize celebrations
at a local hotel on Saturday and invite leaders from other ethnic
groups.
Johannes Tannur, a Chinese-Indonesian, said he hoped the
celebration would strengthen the brotherhood among Chinese and
other ethnic groups.