Indonesians Feel the Chinese New Year Atmosphere

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Although Chinese New Year 2011 won't officially begin until February 3rd, there's already a welcoming atmosphere in Indonesia for the year of the rabbit. Our correspondents were there to sample the festivities.

The main atrium of Jakarta's Emporium Pluit mall. Drums and cymbals enliven this lion dance presented by the "Kung Chiao" lion dance team. They want to become the winner of the Indonesia Dragon and Lion Dance Championship 2011, initiated by the Indonesia Dragon and Lion Dance Association.

Each lion dance team will be judged by 11 jurors on how well they conform to the basic aspects of lion dance. This includes the difficulty of movements, expression, passion, good manners, costumes, decorations, harmony of the movements, and harmony of the music.

Thirty lion dance teams from various regions of Indonesia will participate in the championships. The association says the activity not only welcomes the lunar New Year in Indonesia, but also acts as a forum to unify the ethnic Chinese community with indigenous Indonesians.

[Oscar Kam Hok An, Indonesia Dragon and Lion Dance Association]:
"The development of the lion dance in Indonesia is quite good, because the indigenous Indonesian now already understand the lion dance, they already know it, and have even participated it. The goal of this competition is to advance the development of the lion dance and unite the lion dance communities."

Hundreds of semi-permanent traders moved their business here to Jakarta's "Glodok," the largest Chinatown in Indonesia. They are selling Chinese New Year knick-knacks -- such as clothes, "ang pau" envelopes, greeting cards, decoration materials, paper lanterns, fortune trees, etc. And every day, thousands of people, particularly from the ethnic Chinese community, shop here for their Chinese New Year needs.

Small traders in this location are able to collect millions of rupiahs every day, so it comes as no surprise that many of them are relocating their businesses here as the lunar New Year comes closer.

It's the year of the rabbit and almost all the knick-knacks sold use rabbit figures, ranging from real rabbit images to cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny.

[Agus, Clothes Trader]:
"It is identical... every lunar new year we sell these clothes. Every day I can sell six of seven dozen items of clothing. It only happens at the lunar new year moment."

Indonesian Chinese have only been allowed to celebrate the lunar New Year since 2000, when late President Abdurrahman Wahid repealed the decree passed by his predecessor Suharto in 1967, banning the ethnic Chinese from celebrating their New Year in public.

NTD News, Jakarta, Indonesia

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• NTD
• Indonesia
• Chinese New Year
• year of the rabbit
• Emporium Pluit mall
• music
• dance

[TheInsanityGame]

keren (COOL), keren is Indonesian language

[stripeyemu]

**lion. It's a dragon to me. A dragon lion.

[superkimmy98]

@stripeyemu what dragon?

[stripeyemu]

That dragon is awesome.