Indonesia has many unique and interesting things when celebrating proclamation day on August 17th every year. Those things will give you unforgettable memories, also great experiences, of course; during your visit in Indonesia. Here are 5 things to do during proclamation day in Indonesia:
1. Proclamation Day Ceremony
On the proclamation day, August 17th, you will find many places hold the ceremony as commemoration. From state institutes, organizations, to schools usually hold the flag ceremony every proclamation day. The ceremonies on proclamation day is different than usual ceremony, with more meaningful event such as special troops show.
The special ceremony on proclamation day in Indonesia can be seen in the National Palace. The ceremony will start at 10 am to rise the national flag and will end at 5 pm to bring down the flag. After the start of ceremony, you can see various interesting event from the military of Indonesia. For example, air force show of air force military that will make you in awe.
Other unique ceremony that held on proclamation day in Indonesia is the flag ceremony in landfill waste. This unique ceremony precisely was held at Putri Cempo landfill waste, Mojosari, Solo city. The purpose of holding the proclamation day ceremony there is to show the care of environment as an action of looking after the earth.
2. Underwater Flag Raising
The flag raising on proclamation day not only done in the land ceremony, but also underwater. For example, the underwater flag raising in Sea World, Ancol, Jakarta. This flag raising was done by professional divers in aquarium with a dept of 6 meters. The underwater flag raising surely gave the new and unique experience in commorating the proclamation day.
The other underwater flag raising was held in Birah Birahan island, East Kutai, Kalimantan. This flag raising was done by the diver community there as a campaign to save the sea ecosystem. They also planted coral reefs in 20-meters-depth water, because the coral reef there was damaged by fish bomb.
3. Proclamation Day Competition
Talking about proclamation day in Indonesia is not complete without mentioning the proclamation day competition. The competition is not your regular competition, but it’s the culture and tradition that still be kept from Dutch colonialism era. Some of competition that usually was held on proclamation day are tug-of-war, crackers eating, sack race, pole climbing, and many more.
One of proclamation day competition that was very unique is underwater pole climbing. This competition was held on 70th proclamation day in Talise beach, Palu, Central Sulawesi. The underwater pole climbing in Talise beach was welcomed happily and participated by people there, from children to adult.
4. Historical Tour
The next one of 5 things to do during proclamation day in Indonesia is historical tour. Proclamation day is the right time to get to know more deeply about the history of Indonesia. You can visit historical places such as Museum Perumusan Naskah Proklamasi in Jakarta to know the proclamation text of Indonesia’s independence.
If you want to traveling around East Java, you can visit the Hero Monument; or known in Bahasa as Tugu Pahlawan, in Surabaya. You can also visit Monument of The Great Commander General Sudirman, known in Bahasa as Monumen Panglima Besar Jenderal Sudirman. And there are many other places all over Indonesia that can be a fit for your historical tour on proclamation day.
5. Mountain Climbing
This one is kinda different than other things in this list, but not make this thing is the least interesting thing. If anything, this thing maybe is more fun and exciting for you to spend the visit during proclamation day in Indonesia. Especially for you who like natural activities, mountain climbing is really suitable to enjoy the proclamation day and commorate Indonesia’s independence.
For your info, there are several nature-lovers community that will hold the mountain climbing event during proclamation day. There will be several mountain that will be the place for this mountain climbing event, and the most famous one is Semeru mount in East Java. But not only in Semeru mount, you can also join the mointaing climbing event in other mountain.
The special thing from this mountain climbing event is the flag rising on the top of mountain. After flag rising, the participants will also sing the national anthem of Indonesia together. This experience will become a touching moment in your life, and you will never forget this amazing memories. Especially when you come together with other participants and see the national flag be risen on the top of mountain.
Those are 5 things to do during proclamation day in Indonesia that you can try to do. Hope this information is helpful!
