Have you ever wondered if there are any Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia? As a multicultural country, Indonesia has some Chinese-Indonesian that living in the country for so many decades.
That makes sense if Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia are always held every year. The country slogan of Bhineka Tunggal Ika influences most Indonesian to the diversity that exist in the country for so many centuries.
There are so many typical Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia, which bring the richest culture in Indonesia even though they are not the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia. If you are wondering what kind of them, here we have some on the list below. Let’s check them out!
1. Patekoan
Patekoan is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia that commonly happen in the Glodok area in West Jakarta. This kind of tradition only happens during Chinese New Year as part of their way of celebrating the New Year in Indonesia.
Patekoan is a kind of Chinese tradition that should be done during Chinese New Year by presenting a cup of tea for free to everyone who passed around the Glodok area. This tradition believes can bring some good luck for most Chinese Indonesian in the year ahead.
2. Culinary Festival
The culinary festival is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia that is commonly held in most of the Indonesian region with the Chinese Indonesian community. You can find so many typical Chinese Indonesian fusion food in the original Indonesian food itself during the culinary festival held.
Culinary festivals are commonly followed by most Chinese Indonesian as a part of celebrating the New Year. They would organize the place and decorate it with Chinese ornaments, commonly in red, to make it more joyful.
3. Grebeg Sudiro
Grebeg Sudiro is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia that commonly happen in Solo of Central Java. This kind of tradition represents the harmonious living of the Chinese tribe and the Javanese tribe living in Solo.
Grebeg Sudiro is a type of Chinese tradition influenced by the Javanese tribe, which means the festival for welcoming the Chinese New Year. This kind of tradition is commonly held seven days before the New Year comes. The peak of it happens when the Gunungan of harvest or Kue Keranjang that snatched by locals.
4. Tatung Parade
The Tatung parade is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia, that commonly happens in Singkawang of West Kalimantan. This kind of Chinese tradition presents the most extreme parade in which most participants are popular as the Tatung pierced their bodies with sharp things, such as needles, knives, swords, and many more.
The Tatung parade, commonly held in the 15th days after the Chinese New Year left with the purposed to swipe every influence of evil in the city. Most Chinese believe that the Tatung was chosen by the spirit of their great ancestor deities. The Tatung should follow the sacred ceremonies led by the sacred traditional healers.
5. Visiting the Temple
Visiting the Chinese temple or is it popular as Klenteng in Chinese tradition, is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia that commonly happen in most Indonesian regions. Most Chinese Indonesian will be having a sacred prayer and their wish to god to seek any blessing in their lives in the year ahead.
Visiting the Chinese temple is commonly crowded on the first of the year and the 15th days after the Chinese New Year left. Most residents commonly help each other to decorate the temple and clean it before the day comes which is similar to the Hinduism that comes to pray in the popular temples in Bali.
6. Lion Dance Festival
The lion dance festival is one of the most popular Chinese New year traditions in Indonesia that commonly happen in most Indonesian regions. During the Chinese New Year, the lion dance festival is a performance that always is awaited by most locals and tourists as well.
Lion dance festival commonly performs the Barongsai, and it always happens during Chinese New Year every year, which looks similar to the cultural performances in Bali. The performance of Barongsai represents a prayer for everyone to seek some good fortune in the year ahead.
7. Angpao
Angpao is one of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia, which happens in most Chinese Indonesian families. Most of them believe that Angpao, or Chinese call Hong Bao is a tradition that represents the kindness and caring that should be done following the Chinese tradition’s rule to seek some good fortune.
Angpao should be wrapped in a red envelope the most influential color in Chinese tradition to bring some good luck. They believe the amount that contains 8 number will bring luck the most such as richness and happiness.
8. Avoid Cleaning the House and Close the Door
There is a popular Chinese New Year tradition in Indonesia in which the people of Chinese Indonesian should avoid cleaning their houses and closing their doors. Both of those activities will bring a stroke of bad luck and sweep most luck that comes to them a year ahead.
Most Chinese Indonesian believe that closing the door will close the sustenance doors from god in Chinese tradition bringing much bad luck. Cleaning the house will sweep any good luck and will get the most unfortunate life in the year ahead.
So, there are some of the most popular Chinese New Year traditions in Indonesia that are commonly held every year. Most of them are held on purpose to seek some fortune and good luck for the year ahead.
