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By APD writer Maverick
JAKARTA, March 2 (APD) — The annual landmark Chinese Lantern Festival held in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province’s city of Singkawang broke new records this year, expected to be more spectacular in the following years.
The festival, which dubbed as Cap Go Meh in Indonesia, broke new records in terms of lanterns displayed throughout the event, number of tatungs taking part in the parade, gigantic size of Chinese-Architecture gate during the event and the number of dragon floatations.
National records endorser, Indonesian Records Museum (MURI), said that the current Cap Go Meh event has bigger number of those elements compared the previous events held in the city as well as in any city across the country.
MURI learned that the festival was featured with nine dragon floatations, huge dimension of Chinese-architecture gate with height and length of 6 and 16.2 meters respectively, some 1,038 tatungs taking part in the festival parade and 20,607 lanterns.
Tatungs were local Chinese and indigenous Dayak tribe people who were possessed by spirits, capable of sustaining the agony from sharp weapons.
They performed in the parade with parts of their bodies cut with machetes. They also pierced their cheeks with skewers, which ran through their mouths.
Their presence becomes one of the most expected attractions during precession of Singkawang Lantern Festival that runs from Feb. 15 to March.
The festival parade, which peaked the festival, was opened by Indonesia Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in a Singkawang square on Friday.
The minister lauded the festival as part of the nation’s pride and an apparent symbol of harmony among people across the country.
“I would like to remind all people in the country that our diverse cultures and traditions is a legacy from our ancestors which need to be preserved and conserved, just like this Cap Go Meh event in Singkawang,” the minister who represented Indonesian President Joko Widodo to open the event, said.
He added that the current festival was the largest one from the ones held in the city in several years back, actively involving local administration and public from various background in the city.
Ina separate occasions Deputy Tourism Minister for International Marketing I Gde Pitana said that the current Lantern Festival in Singkawang was phenomenal with several records breaking elements.
He encouraged the festival visitors to spend their time while in Singkawang to several beautiful beaches in the city’s coastal areas.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
