Children’s gamelan parade

Fri, November 25, 2016 / 02:05 pm

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Girls compete in a plank race during the Children’s Gamelan Parade this year in Yogyakarta. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Children race while wearing half coconut shells on their feet, connected to string, in the egrang batok game during the event in Yogyakarta. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Participants of the parade perform a bamboo dance. In Yogyakarta, the traditional dance is called bambu geprak. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Children wearing traditional costumes play boi-boian, a game requiring two groups of at least five children. The game involves using a ball of crumpled paper to hit a pyramid of cans. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Two girls play mancala using coconut shells during the ninth Children’s Gamelan Parade in Yogyakarta. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Boys compete in a stilt race during the event run by Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta to encourage experiential play. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Children use bamboo pipes to hit pyramids of cans with bullets made of wet paper or seeds. The game is played by boys aged 6 to 13 years old. JP/ Aditya Sagita
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Four children play a giant version of the snakes and ladders board game during the parade organized by Sanata Dharma University. JP/ Aditya Sagita

Playing is a phase that every human in the world experiences as a child. Through play, children can learn from the environment, and socialize with other people and animals.

However, technology has ushered in a more sedentary lifestyle among children, raising concerns that children nowadays have less understanding of the world and are less articulate in expressing their emotions.

Against this backdrop, Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta organizes a Children’s Gamelan Parade every year. Gamelan are sets of traditional musical instruments found in Sundanese, Balinese and Javanese culture.

This year’s parade, the ninth annual event, presented 16 groups from Yogyakarta and Central Java playing gamelan. However, the event is not only about gamelan but also features traditional games for children, a batik exhibition and traditional puppet show.

Children participating in the parade can try several traditional games like a plank race, stilt race and Javanese mancala.

The parade gives children the opportunity for experiential learning, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of the world. [evi]