On one road in Singkawang, on Friday, the figurative walls that separate locals were broken down. People from various backgrounds gathered in joy to witness the Cap Go Meh parade.
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Kompas/Nina Susilo
Revellers enjoy the Cap Go Meh Carnival in Singkawang on Friday (2/3). Participants came from various backgrounds and ages. People from different ethnicities and religions also enjoyed the carnival.
Cap Go Meh celebrations went on smoothly all over the country on Thursday (1/3/2018) and Friday (2/3). In Singkawang, archipelago dances opened the festival. In Kemaro Island, locals visited Buyut Siti Fatimah’s grave.
On one road in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, on Friday, the figurative walls that separate locals were broken down. People from various backgrounds gathered in joy to witness the Cap Go Meh parade. The celebration on the 15th day after the Chinese New Year belonged to all.
Female dancers wearing all-red cheongsam dresses sprightly ran toward Jl Diponegoro, where a “stage” was erected for the festival. Accompanied by the sounds of traditional music instruments, they danced and smiled. Their fingers deftly played with red hand fans.
Next, male dancers wearing Dayak traditional garb and bringing shields and mandau (Dayak traditional weapon) performed on stage.
The male and female dancers performed together. Soon, dancers wearing Malay clothes joined on stage. This was a harmony of Nusantara dances that opened the Cap Go Meh Festival in Singkawang.
At the end of the dance, the song “Dari Sabang sampai Merauke” (“From Sabang to Merauke”) was sung together. The dancers wearing Indonesian ethnic dresses danced hand-in-hand and sang together. The audience joined singing. It sent goose bumps as people were moved by the feeling of Indonesian togetherness.
Becoming tatung
A tatung parade was hotly awaited in the festival. Tatung is essentially a showcase of physical immunity in which performers have their bodies pierced with sharp objects. In the festival, 1,038 tatung performers were paraded on palanquins on Singkawang’s major streets.
Interestingly, the tatung performers comprised not only Chinese-Indonesians but also Dayaks. Some of the tatung performers wore Chinese war uniforms and some others wore traditional Dayak clothes.
“I am not of Chinese descent but I am always involved as a tatung in Cap Go Meh celebrations every year. Cap Go Meh belongs to everyone in Singkawang, instead of only to Chinese-Indonesians,” said Dayak man Antonius, 19.
Visitor Maulana Leon, 14, said that he was used to intermingle with people of various religions and ethnicities in the festival.
Maulana said that he lived in a diverse neighborhood. On Chinese New Year, he and his family visit Chinese-Indonesians’ homes. On the Islamic holiday of Idul Fitri, Chinese Indonesians visit his home.
Singkawang mayor Tjhai Chui Mie said that the event was a cultural celebration to unite the nation. With its diversity of ethnicities and religions, Singkawang is a miniature of Indonesia. She said that she hoped locals always reflected on Pancasila values in their daily life. By implementing these values, Indonesia will be strong in the face of adversities.
“Through this event, we wish to spread happiness not only to the Chinese but to all. Everyone here in the festival must be able to feel joyful,” Tjhai said.
Blessing in Kemaro Island
Joyful Cap Go Meh celebrations were also found in other regions. In Magelang, Central Java, 10 traditional arts groups joined in a parade on Friday. Dancers performed with Chinese art groups performing barongsai and liong dances.
In Manado, North Sulawesi, rainfall did not decreased thousands of locals’ enthusiasm in joining the Cap Go Meh celebration in Ban Hin Kiong temple. Locals had been standing on the roadside enthusiastically since noon on Friday.
In Palembang, South Sumatra, hundreds of locals gathered at the Tri Dharma Hok Ceng Bio temple in Kemaro Island in the early hours of Thursday, when Cap Go Meh Festival on the island began.
Apart from visiting the grave of Buyut Siti Fatimah, a Palembang princess believed to be the ancestor of all Chinese-Indonesians in the city, people also prayed to Hok Tek Cin Sin – the Earth God – inside the temple.
The annual tradition is a popular tourist attraction in Palembang. Celebration begins one day before Cap Go Meh and ends one day after. It goes on non-stop for three days and two nights. Up to 90,000 visitors are expected.
Kemaro Island is located on Musi River. On regular days, visitors need to use boats to reach the island. During Cap Go Meh, however, a special access is provided. Six 200-meter pontoon boats are used as a temporary bridge to reach the island.
The moment visitors step on the island, they will see around 3,000 lanterns on roadsides. Culinary stalls are also set up and Chinese dance theatrical performances are held.
The celebration is centered at Hok Ceng Bio Temple. As visitors enter the temple, they will be greeted by thick puffs of smoke from incense sticks. People come to and fro in the temple, bringing incense sticks and praying. A barongsai performance is held at the temple’s entry gate.
A popular activity for temple visitors during Cap Go Meh is asking for the flowers that were used in praying at Siti Fatimah’s grave. The flowers are distributed with yellow pockets filled with rice and corn, symbolizing prosperity and health.
Sulati, 64, visitor from Jakarta, said this was the tenth time she celebrated Cap Go Meh on Kemaro Island. “I wish to join in the festivities. This is why I always come here,” she said.
