Boy T Harjanto
Two groups of young men were ready to compete in a mud soccer match at Karangmlongko village, Ngaglik district, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta.
The match in the village was not the only one. There were other villages holding different competitions to commemorate Indonesia’s Independence Day, which falls on Aug. 17. The matches – mostly for fun and not real competition – ran for about a week.
On the eve of Independence Day, most people held tirakatan (a tradition to express people’s gratitude to God) before holding a flag-hoisting ceremony the next morning. [yan]