Quietness of Malioboro

Tue, January 16, 2018 / 12:14 pm

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Street vendors on Jl. Malioboro close their shops every Tuesday Wage as the Yogyakarta mayor imposed a policy prohibiting them from operating on the occasion. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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A family strolls down a sidewalk on Malioboro, which is usually occupied by street vendors. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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Two men exit a building on Malioboro. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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Visitors, domestic and foreign, flock to Malioboro on Tuesday Wage, despite a recent policy change on street vendors. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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Carts owned by street vendors are stored in an alley on Malioboro. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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A shop attendant closes a store gate in the afternoon. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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A yellow bicycle is seen parked on an empty sidewalk. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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Clothes hangers that were left behind are seen on Malioboro. JP/Boy T. Harjanto
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People walk by closed stores. JP/Boy T. Harjanto

Boy T Harjanto

Jl. Malioboro in Yogyakarta is commonly packed with tourists – domestic or foreign – who want to enjoy the city. Visitors can buy merchandise from street vendors occupying Malioboro’s sidewalks during the day. At night, they can enjoy traditional food on the famous street.

However, Jan. 9 was an exception. Malioboro was very quiet that day. Street vendors closed down their businesses for 24 hours.

They agreed to stop doing business every Tuesday Wage, which comes every 35 days on the Javanese calendar, because it coincides with the birthday of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.

On the eve of every Tuesday Wage, street vendors safeguard the area and, in the morning, they collectively clean up the street.

The tradition began recently on Sept. 26, 2017, a date that coincides with the 261st anniversary of Yogyakarta. [yan]