YEAR-END REVELERS FLOCK TO RECREATION CENTERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 1 (Antara) - As part of a long-standing tradition, thousands of year-end holidaymakers nationwide flocked to entertainment and recreation centers to relax and enjoy the holidays with family members or friends to usher in the New Year.         In Jakarta, the most popular places to visit included the Jaya Ancol Dream Land in North Jakarta, the Indonesian In Miniature Park (TMII) in East Jakarta, the Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta, Jalan Thamirn business district center, and the National Monument (Monas) squares.    Year-end holidaymakers also thronged places of interest in the country, such as the Buddhist Temple of Borobudur in Magelang District, Central Java; Lake Toba in North Sumatra; and tourist resorts in Bali, such as Tanah Lot and Kuta Beach.         According to CNN Indonesia reports, some 480 thousand holidaymakers are expected to visit the Jaya Ancol Dream Land, while the TMII is likely to receive some 450 thousands visitors.         On New Year's Eve, thousands of visitors congregated at the Jalan Thamrin and Monas areas to welcome the arrival of New Year 2018.         The Ancol Dream Land Beach was crowded with thousands of visitors to welcome the turn of the year from 2017 to 2018 in an event titled "Pesona Indonesiaku," or The Charm of My Indonesia.

INDONESIAN MUSLIMS WELCOME ISLAMIC NEW YEAR

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Oct 25 (Antara) - Indonesian Muslims in various parts of the country held parades, festivals, dhikrs, joint prayers and various other rituals to welcome the Islamic New Year 1436 Hegira on Saturday.          Thousands of Muslims across the country flocked to New Year commemoration centers and squares to convey prayers and hold festivals or took to the street to parade as an expression of their gratitude to God.          One of the parades in Jakarta was seen in East Jakarta where thousands of children, young and old people flocked to East Jakarta's Cipinang Nurul Huda Mosque. Some walked and some others rode vehicles in an orderly manner along the Jatinegara arterial roads.          Several school foundations also organized the New Year commemorations such as the Ar Rizqi which organized New Year well-wishers to parade along the Pemuda Street in East Jakarta.          Large scale commemoration in Jakarta will be held at the Bung Karno Sports Stadium (GBK) on Sunday where hundreds of thousands of Muslim are expected to attend.

JAKARTA WELCOMES NEW YEAR WITH JAKARTA NIGHT FESTIVAL

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 31 (Antara) - White tents and entertainment stages bedeck the roadsides along Jalan Thamrin and Merdeka Selatan, in the central business district of Jakarta, on Tuesday, to hail in the New Year 2014.          This year, Jakarta will welcome the New Year by holding the 'Jakarta Night Festival' (JNF), which has been chalked out by Governor Joko Widodo as the annual event.          "We have made preparations and set up entertainment stages and tents," Head of Jakarta Tourism and Cultural Service Arie Budhiman stated at the City Hall.           He informed that the preparations for the festival, which included setting up the stages, required a lot of time, hence, the work had begun two days before the New Year's Eve.           "Of the total 12 stages planned for the JNF, three were set up on Monday. The main stage is located around the Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle," Arie added.          The Jakarta administration has also installed 300 stands for street vendors along the Jalan Thamrin, Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan, and Dukuh Atas Trains Station area.

INDONESIAN MUSLIMS CELEBRATE ISLAMIC NEW YEAR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 7 (ANTARA) - In the last two days, Indonesian Muslims in various parts of the country have celebrated the arrival of the Islamic New Year 1432 Hegira which falls on Tuesday, with a number of rituals, dzikir (chant to bring one's self closer to God) and parades.          Thousands of Muslims performed the dzikir prayers on Tuesday including those in the provinces of South Sumatra province, Riau, Central Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).          "About 3,000 Muslims attended the dzikir and tausiah (religious sermon) event held to welcome the Islamic New Year on  Muharam 1, (first month of Hegira)  at the Pagar Alam Mayor's Office, South Sumatra," Saidi Amrullah, head of the social affairs of local government, said on Tuesday.          In Riau province,  the dzikir prayer service was held at Pasir Pengaraian Grand Mosque, starting at 5 pm and finished at 9 pm. Thousands of people  dressed on white came from a number of sub-districts around Rokan Hulu (Rohul) district.          "We usually hold a dzikir ritual at our respective mosques, but this time we gathered at the grand mosque at the request of the district head," said M Nursalam (48), one of the congregation members.          Rokan Hulu District Head Achmad said the joint prayer service was held in an effort to obtain benefits from the Muharram 1 (first month of the Islamic calendar) New Year.          "Muharram 1 is a good momentum to introspect, build our determination and set the goals of our hopes," he said.          In Palu, Central Sulawesi,  SMAN I senior high school students held a dzikir ritual to mark the arrival of the new year. "Thank God, the dzikir ritual to welcome Muharram 1 proceeded solemnly and smoothly," Vice Principal of SMAN 1 Zulfikar said.          He said  the students began the ritual after saying their afternoon Ashar prayers at the school's mosque and were led by the school's head master Abdul Hair Mahmud.          The joint prayers and dzikir were used as a means of contemplation amid the various disasters such as landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions and tsunami hitting Indonesia.          On Tuesday, the students also joined public marches around the Palu city which culminated with a joint dzikir and prayers at Palu's grand mosque.          In Palu, there were about 1,000 people who celebrated the Islamic New Year with dzikir in various squares, including the one behind the Regional Police complex on Jalan Soekarno Hatta.          Here, the dzikir ritual was organized by the Nurul Yaqin education center. "This activity is held in the frame work of Islamic propagation," chief organizer Huzaiman said.          The same dzikir ritual was also organized in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Thousands of Muslims flocked to mosques and squares in Mataram, to attend a joint prayer service.          They welcomed the Islamic new year with various religious rituals in almost all mosques and special places prepared for the event such as on the premises of the Mataram Mayor's office.  About 1,000 Muslims, young and old, packed the Mayor's office's square where they said their prayers for divine grace in their  present and later life. Syekh Almadani, the leader of a boarding school in Jakarta, delivered a religious sermon.          Mataram Mayor H Ahyar Abduh, who attended the prayer service  said the Islamic New Year should not be welcomed with meaningless festivities such as races and drinks.          "The Islamic New Year had better be welcomed with dzikir," he said.          Besides dzikir prayers, Muslims also performed certain rituals such as the "Ambik Tanah" ritual in Bengkulu and the 'ketupat' (rice cake) throwing ritual in Central Java's Ungaran.          Members of the Tabot Community Association (KKT) in Bengkulu welcomed the Islamic New Year with the "Ambik Tanah" ritual. "We always organize 'Ambik Tanah' ritual in welcoming the arrival of the Islamic New Year on Muharam 1 , to remember the demise of the Prophet Muhammad's grand-son, Husein, who was killed in the Karbala field, Iraq," KKT chairman for Bengkulu Syaiful Hidayat said.          He said that 'Ambik Tanah' which literally means taking soil, was started on Monday at 4 pm with a joint prayer service  at the house of KKT leader in Melintang Market village, Bengkulu City.          "After the Isya evening prayers, we held the Ambik Tanah ritual at the Tapak Paderi beach of Bengkulu," he said. It began with a prayer followed by the pouring of various kinds of drinks like coffee, milk and fresh water onto the location of soil taking.          Using a piece of white cloth, one of the KKT leaders would than take some soil to be wrapped up and put into a place which was covered with a pan made of soil. The ambik tanah ritual was then closed with a joint prayer. The wrapped soil was taken to be kept in a certain place.          This ritual is performed by the Tabot community. Tabot itself literally means box or coffin. When the Prophet Muhammad's grand-son was killed in the Karbala field, the tabot was used to keep parts of Husein's body.          The other ritual is the 'ketupat' throwing ritual in Ungaran Central Java. Hundreds of villagers observed the arrival of the Islamic New Year  with  this ritual.          The event in which people threw  ketupat at each other was among other things held at the Dusun Muneng intersection, Sodomulyo village, at 5 p.m on Monday, attended by hundreds of people who brought along  ketupat complete with vegetable sauce. Before the ritual was started, people called out adzan (call for prayers) in unison in four directions.          Then  they ate the food (ketupat) together, throwing the  remainders at each other. Mahsun of  Sidomulyo village said the ritual  was a tradition regularly carried out by villagers to welcome the Islamic new year. It was intended to fend off various disasters and accidents during the year ahead.          Parades were also held to observe the new year.  The people of Mamuju district, West Sulawesi, for example, welcome it with vehicle parades around the city. Hundreds of four and two wheel vehicles in convoys marched around the Mamuju city marking the arrival of the Islamic New Year.          The marches were seen off by Mamuju district Head Suhardi Duka at the Ahmad Kirang Square in front of the Mamuju head's official residence.       Some of the vehicles taking part in the marches were decorated in the forms of mosques and the Ka'bah (the cubical shrine in the Haram Mosque in Mecca).          The chief organizer of the event, Syarifuddin Husain said  the marches were carried out to popularize the Islamic New Year. "We also hold a joint dzikir ritual at the Mamuju grand mosque," he said.          In the meantime,  hundreds of Muslim youths and students in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java, held a torch parade to observe the Islamic New Year. At least 11 youth and student organizations started their marches from Arek Lancor Monument towards the office of the local government on Jalan Kabupaten Pamekasan.          The parade attracted the attention of residents. Besides carrying torches, they also chanted  the 'Selawat Nabi' song along the way.  "We are holding this  torch parade on the eve of the Islamic New Year to celebrate the arrival of the Islamic new year," spokesman of the Ismahi student organization, said.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/19:05/H-YH) (T.A014/A/A014/A/H-YH) 07-12-2010 19:12:3

INDONESIAN MUSLIMS CELEBRATE ISLAMIC NEW YEAR

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 7 (ANTARA) - In the last two days, Indonesian Muslims in various parts of the country have celebrated the arrival of the Islamic New Year 1432 Hegira which falls on Tuesday, with a number of rituals, dzikir (chant to bring one's self closer to God) and parades.          Thousands of Muslims performed the dzikir prayers on Tuesday including those in the provinces of South Sumatra province, Riau, Central Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).          "About 3,000 Muslims attended the dzikir and tausiah (religious sermon) event held to welcome the Islamic New Year on  Muharam 1, (first month of Hegira)  at the Pagar Alam Mayor's Office, South Sumatra," Saidi Amrullah, head of the social affairs of local government, said on Tuesday.          In Riau province,  the dzikir prayer service was held at Pasir Pengaraian Grand Mosque, starting at 5 pm and finished at 9 pm. Thousands of people  dressed on white came from a number of sub-districts around Rokan Hulu (Rohul) district.          "We usually hold a dzikir ritual at our respective mosques, but this time we gathered at the grand mosque at the request of the district head," said M Nursalam (48), one of the congregation members.          Rokan Hulu District Head Achmad said the joint prayer service was held in an effort to obtain benefits from the Muharram 1 (first month of the Islamic calendar) New Year.          "Muharram 1 is a good momentum to introspect, build our determination and set the goals of our hopes," he said.          In Palu, Central Sulawesi,  SMAN I senior high school students held a dzikir ritual to mark the arrival of the new year. "Thank God, the dzikir ritual to welcome Muharram 1 proceeded solemnly and smoothly," Vice Principal of SMAN 1 Zulfikar said.          He said  the students began the ritual after saying their afternoon Ashar prayers at the school's mosque and were led by the school's head master Abdul Hair Mahmud.          The joint prayers and dzikir were used as a means of contemplation amid the various disasters such as landslides, floods, volcanic eruptions and tsunami hitting Indonesia.          On Tuesday, the students also joined public marches around the Palu city which culminated with a joint dzikir and prayers at Palu's grand mosque.          In Palu, there were about 1,000 people who celebrated the Islamic New Year with dzikir in various squares, including the one behind the Regional Police complex on Jalan Soekarno Hatta.          Here, the dzikir ritual was organized by the Nurul Yaqin education center. "This activity is held in the frame work of Islamic propagation," chief organizer Huzaiman said.          The same dzikir ritual was also organized in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Thousands of Muslims flocked to mosques and squares in Mataram, to attend a joint prayer service.          They welcomed the Islamic new year with various religious rituals in almost all mosques and special places prepared for the event such as on the premises of the Mataram Mayor's office.  About 1,000 Muslims, young and old, packed the Mayor's office's square where they said their prayers for divine grace in their  present and later life. Syekh Almadani, the leader of a boarding school in Jakarta, delivered a religious sermon.          Mataram Mayor H Ahyar Abduh, who attended the prayer service  said the Islamic New Year should not be welcomed with meaningless festivities such as races and drinks.          "The Islamic New Year had better be welcomed with dzikir," he said.          Besides dzikir prayers, Muslims also performed certain rituals such as the "Ambik Tanah" ritual in Bengkulu and the 'ketupat' (rice cake) throwing ritual in Central Java's Ungaran.          Members of the Tabot Community Association (KKT) in Bengkulu welcomed the Islamic New Year with the "Ambik Tanah" ritual. "We always organize 'Ambik Tanah' ritual in welcoming the arrival of the Islamic New Year on Muharam 1 , to remember the demise of the Prophet Muhammad's grand-son, Husein, who was killed in the Karbala field, Iraq," KKT chairman for Bengkulu Syaiful Hidayat said.          He said that 'Ambik Tanah' which literally means taking soil, was started on Monday at 4 pm with a joint prayer service  at the house of KKT leader in Melintang Market village, Bengkulu City.          "After the Isya evening prayers, we held the Ambik Tanah ritual at the Tapak Paderi beach of Bengkulu," he said. It began with a prayer followed by the pouring of various kinds of drinks like coffee, milk and fresh water onto the location of soil taking.          Using a piece of white cloth, one of the KKT leaders would than take some soil to be wrapped up and put into a place which was covered with a pan made of soil. The ambik tanah ritual was then closed with a joint prayer. The wrapped soil was taken to be kept in a certain place.          This ritual is performed by the Tabot community. Tabot itself literally means box or coffin. When the Prophet Muhammad's grand-son was killed in the Karbala field, the tabot was used to keep parts of Husein's body.          The other ritual is the 'ketupat' throwing ritual in Ungaran Central Java. Hundreds of villagers observed the arrival of the Islamic New Year  with  this ritual.          The event in which people threw  ketupat at each other was among other things held at the Dusun Muneng intersection, Sodomulyo village, at 5 p.m on Monday, attended by hundreds of people who brought along  ketupat complete with vegetable sauce. Before the ritual was started, people called out adzan (call for prayers) in unison in four directions.          Then  they ate the food (ketupat) together, throwing the  remainders at each other. Mahsun of  Sidomulyo village said the ritual  was a tradition regularly carried out by villagers to welcome the Islamic new year. It was intended to fend off various disasters and accidents during the year ahead.          Parades were also held to observe the new year.  The people of Mamuju district, West Sulawesi, for example, welcome it with vehicle parades around the city. Hundreds of four and two wheel vehicles in convoys marched around the Mamuju city marking the arrival of the Islamic New Year.          The marches were seen off by Mamuju district Head Suhardi Duka at the Ahmad Kirang Square in front of the Mamuju head's official residence.       Some of the vehicles taking part in the marches were decorated in the forms of mosques and the Ka'bah (the cubical shrine in the Haram Mosque in Mecca).          The chief organizer of the event, Syarifuddin Husain said  the marches were carried out to popularize the Islamic New Year. "We also hold a joint dzikir ritual at the Mamuju grand mosque," he said.          In the meantime,  hundreds of Muslim youths and students in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java, held a torch parade to observe the Islamic New Year. At least 11 youth and student organizations started their marches from Arek Lancor Monument towards the office of the local government on Jalan Kabupaten Pamekasan.          The parade attracted the attention of residents. Besides carrying torches, they also chanted  the 'Selawat Nabi' song along the way.  "We are holding this  torch parade on the eve of the Islamic New Year to celebrate the arrival of the Islamic new year," spokesman of the Ismahi student organization, said.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/19:05/H-YH) (T.A014/A/A014/A/H-YH) 07-12-2010 19:12:3

CHINESE CELEBRATE 'IMLEK' TO WELCOME FORTUNES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 25 (ANTARA) - Enthic Chinese in Indonesia are celebrating Chinese New Year 2560 on Monday, January 26, with various attractions, colorful decorations and offering or enjoying special dishes to welcome fortunes lying ahead.

        A number of star-rated hotels in Jakarta have been adorned with typically Chinese decorations and presented the 'barongsai' (dragon dance) at leading restaurants offering Chinese dishes.

        Gran Melia Hotel in South Jakarta is offering various Chinese menus and cakes which are usually served by Chinese families during the Chinese New Year (locally called Imlek) celebrations. "We also present barongsai dance performances to enliven this year's celebrations," Dewi Banowati, public relations manager of Gran Melia hotel said.

        Not only hotels, shopping malls also compete to offer the most attractive programs to take advantage of the advent of the Chinese New Year. Chinese traditional dances, operas, wushu and Chinese traditional music performances are also held at shopping malls.

        Besides attractions and art performances, shopping centers also open stalls offering various goods and delicacies normally esnaplly enjoyed during Imlek celebrations such as 'keranjang' cakes, 'moci' cakes, lampions (Chinese paper lanterns), 'chong sam' attires and 'mei hua' flowers.

        Busy Imlek celebrations are not only held in the capital city of Jakarta but also in various other parts of the country. Ethic Chinese citizens visited shopping centers to buy various goods they needed for the special occasion.

        In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, for example, thousands of ethnic Chinese flocked shops and kiosks in China Town on Jalan Gajahmada, to buy various items and fruits which are symbol of good fortune.

        "This year, business is more than usual than last year's," Akhian, 55, a trader who sells various kinds of fruits said. He sold Bali oranges, Super Lokhan Mandarin oranges, Baby mandarin oranges and dragon pineapples. All these types of fruits bear their respective symbols of fortune in welcoming the New Year.

        A couple of Bali oranges bearing Chinese characters meaing 'bring fortune' were sold between Rp30,000 and Rp150,000. Dragon pineapples were sold up to hundreds of thousands of rupiah each, depending on their sizes, shapes and fortune they promise.

        Fruits contain sweet substances, which have their own meaning. "Every kind of sweet has its own meaning. Candied apples, for example, means safety," Ayong, owner of a fruit shop, said.

        He sells various kinds of candied fruits. He could sell about 200 kg of sweets of different tastes with each taste bearing different meanings. "Shining red candied peaches mean longevity," Ayong said.

        Fortunes promised in sweets have also led ethnic Chinese in Makassar, South Sulawesi, to flock to shops selling sugar cane in the runup to the New Year. Sugar cane is selling well in traditional markets in Makassar on Sunday. One such sugar cane may sell at Rp25,000.

        "On regular days, people rarely look for sugar cane. But on the eve of the Chinese New Year, many people look for sugar canes. The most sought ones are those which are still with leaves. This causes their price to rocket up to Rp25,000 per two bars," a trader at Pannampu market in Makassar said on Sunday. Two bars of sugar canes sell only at Rp10,000 on normal days.

        Tajuddin, another merchant at Pasar Terong in Makassar said he had purchased sugar canes directly from farmers since this week to anticipate many buyers who want to welcome the 'Imlek' New year. "Sugar canes are normally selling well in the runup to the Imlek New Year," he said.

        Baba Liong, an ethnic Chinese who lives in China Town on Jalan Somba Opu in Makassar city said based on the tradition passed on from generation to generation, fruits and other sweet crops such as sugar canes were parts of the offerings presented during prayers.

        "Fruits contain philosophical values, which offer hope for a better and sweet future," Liong said.

        Besides sugar canes, bomboo and banana leaves were also selling well in the runup to the Chinese New Year in the South Sulawesi provincial capital. A bundle bamboo leaves is sold at Rp1,000 while a piece of banana leave at Rp1,500.

        The banana and bamboo leaves are used to wrap 'burasa', a cake made of boiled rice mixed with coconut milk. Syerly, who was shopping at Terong Market said 'burasa' was usually eaten with meat or fish by the family at home before or after prayers at a temple.

        Sugar canes as a symbol of fortune are also used by ethnic Chinese in the Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali. 'Penjor tebu' decorations, a kind of adornment made of sugar canes, are put on the fence gates of houses of residents who celebrated the New Year.

        This religious nuance is almost the same as that of the Hindus when they celebrated the Darma (goodness) day against the Adharma (evil) day. The difference between the two is that the penjor during the Hindu celebrations was made of bamboo while during Imlek is made of sugar canes.

        "This reflects a harmonious assimilation and religious tolerance in Bali," Hindra Suarlin of Kuta's Dhamayana Temple, said.

        Sweets as a symbol of fortune are also reflected in what is called 'keranjang' cake. In Kudus, Central Java, this special occasion delicary, which is made of sticky rice flour and sugar, is an indispensible menu offered to welcome the Chinese New Year.

        "Keranjang cake is especially made to be offered during Imlek," Trinawati, owner of a cake shop in Kudus said. She said she always sold keranjang cakes on the event of the Chinese New Year.

        "For the ethnic Chinese community who celebrate the Imlek, serving a keranjang cake is a must and could not be passed without heed," she said adding that she produced some 5 to 6 tons of the special cake carrying a price tag of Rp20,000 per kg at her shop.

        Ethnic Chinese origins observing the New Year use the keranjang cake as offering to their ancestors during prayers on the eve of Imlek and Cap Go Meh (rituals during Night 15).(T.A014/HNG/A/E002)  25-01-2009 23:00:50