Safe and Peacefull Celebrations in A Political Year

Erwin Edhi Prasetya

· 5 minutes read

SURAKARTA, KOMPAS — Thoughts and prayers were abound during the celebrations of the New Year of the Earth Pig. Many were filled with hopes of a peaceful, safe and tolerant year ahead, especially in the context of 2019 as a year of politics.

In Surakarta, Central Java, at the start of the Chinese Year of 2570, which corresponds to 2019 on the Gregorian calendar, locals hoped that harmony would be maintained in their diverse city. They also wished that Indonesia would remain peaceful and safe.

“Hopefully, the people will be more prosperous, security is ensured and the general elections will go on successfully and peacefully,” said Sugiarto, 65, after praying at the Tien Kok Sie temple beside Pasar Gede.

The temple was crowded and yet solemn, as visitors prayed and burned incense sticks amid the raised lanterns.

Heru Subianto or Soei Tie Bian of the Tien Kok Sie temple management said that he hoped diversity would be safeguarded. “I hope everyone will realize that what the people need is essentially a peaceful and quiet life,” he said.

Sumartono Hadinoto, chair of the Surakarta People’s Community, a Surakarta-based social organization for Peranakan Chinese people, said that he hoped the New Year’s celebratory atmosphere would transform the political participation spirit of Chinese Indonesians in the city. Sumartono said that, previously, some Chinese Indonesians in the city had been traumatized by political incidents and chose not to vote in the upcoming election. He continued that he hoped they would change their mind in the new year.

“Whoever wins or loses, we are all still brothers. Indonesia is Unity in Diversity from Sabang to Merauke. We have to protect Indonesia,” he said.

In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, thousands of local Chinese Indonesians gathered at several temples to pray together. Local resident Hariadi, 30, said that he prayed for national peace in the new year.

Celebratory scenes were also visible in temples in Serang and Palembang.

In Surabaya, New Year celebrations began in temples or tridharma places of worship (TITD) two weeks ago, comprising clean-ups and washing the statues of gods and goddesses.

Chinese Indonesians of various religious backgrounds gathered at the temples. On Monday evening, the Hong San Tang temple in Kenjeran and the Hong San Koo Tee TITD in Tegalsari were crowded by prayers. The aroma of incense sticks filled the air.

At the Hong San Koo Tee TITD, prayers for health and prosperity for the entire nation were held on Monday evening and Tuesday. “We also hope that the political contestation this year will be safe, orderly and without any conflicts,” said Sudirman of the TITD.

Visitor Santoso Wibowo said that he visited several temples to pray on every Chinese New Year. He is of Chinese descent but is not a Taoist, Confucian or Buddhist. “My family still holds to the tradition of praying at temples at New Year,” he said.

Celebrating Chinese New Year is a form of tolerance. All Chinese Indonesians, no matter what their religions are, respect and carry out the ancestral tradition. “I believe that praying here is not a violation of my religion. I pray to Allah for health, prosperity and joy, for the nation and all of mankind,” Santoso continued.

In Tambak Bayan village, a local Chinatown in Surabaya, the Chinese New Year was celebrated through barongsai (lion dances) and fan dances. Dancers walked from alley to alley to entertain locals and hope for donations. Locals also distributed meals to all visitors.

“This is tradition,” Tambak Bayan Youth coordinator Liem Kem Hao said. On Chinese New Year, the village is adorned with lanterns and umbrellas.

In Jakarta, Governor Anies Baswedan visited the Dharma Bhakti temple in Petak Sembilan and said that he prayed for increased prosperity in the new year. He said that locals would strive to safeguard unity, no matter what their beliefs and ethnicities are.

“If we can strengthen and support one another, peace will reign,” Anies said.

Apart from talking with the temple’s management, Anies and representatives of the temple’s management released sparrows on the temple’s yard.

Fire on temple

In Bandung, the Satya Budhi temple caught fire on Tuesday. There was no casualty but around 30 percent of the oldest temple in the “City of Flowers” was burnt down.

The fire began at around 10:30 a.m. when locals were praying. It began in the eastern and western wings of the temple’s backyard.

The Satya Budhi temple stands in the same complex as the Samudra Bhakti temple inside the China Town culinary center, Jl. Kelenteng, Andir district. The fire was subsided at 11:30 a.m. after the Bandung Fire and Disaster Mitigation Agency deployed 18 fire trucks and 60 firefighters.

Chandra Tanu, 80, of the temple’s management said that the temple’s main room at the center was still in good condition. “The building is very old. It is around 164 years old,” he said.

The Satya Budhi temple was inaugurated in 1855 under the name of Hiap Thian Kong, meaning “palace of the gods”. It is a tangible cultural heritage site.

Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Irman Sugema said that the fire allegedly began in the temple’s backyard, where there is a room filled with candles sitting at a close space.

(BRO/SEM/TAM/RAM/BAY/ESA/E22)

Editor:

imlek kompascetak the chinese new year