T

he upcoming Imlek, or Chinese Lunar New Year, has energized Chinese communities around the country to greet the Year of the Ox.

The Semawi Imlek Market, held at the Pinggir alley and Jl. Wotgandul in Semarang, has been packed with accessories for Imlek as well as the city's special snacks on Thursday. The temporary market is a variation of the night market on the eve of Chinese New Year, known as Jie Kao Mee in the past.

In Medan, local industries producing various Imlek goods enjoyed a profit increase of 50 percent for various accessories and ritual items.

"The Semawi Imlek Market was banned from 1965 to 1988. It was during the reformasi era, or after the fall of the New Order regime, that Chinese culture gradually was revived, and we have been able to hold the fair," Ong Gwan Djien, fair organizing committee head, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The Jie Kao Mee market only sells Chinese New Year embellishments.

"Now, the Semawis Imlek market is a revitalization of Chinese customs. To woo youths who have never been to a night market, we adjusted it to the changing times," Ong said.

An elderly Chinese-Indonesian in Semarang and an author of historical books on the city, Jongkie Tio, 69, said night markets during the past were also known as the senggol (nudge) market.

Temples in the Chinatown of Semarang have been spruced up to usher in the Chinese New Year which will fall on Jan. 26. Every statue has been cleansed to its most elegant and joss stick urns were shined to a sparkle, while the smell of incense wafts through the air.

The Indonesian-Chinese community in Semarang has also held a batik and painting exhibition featuring Semarang Chinatown at the Tay Kak Sie and Kok Tik Soe temples.

The Rasa Dharma building on Pinggir Alley is organizing a photo exhibition on the family of Oei Tiong Ham, the richest sugar czar in Southeast Asia from the 19th to early 20th century, who made his business and home in Semarang and Singapore.

In Medan, North Sumatra, industries involved in making Chinese New Year products got a sudden windfall from increasing orders of up to 50 percent for the upcoming holiday.

A fiber glass accessories maker, Jasmin Hutauruk, said he had already reaped a profit of Rp 3.5 million (US$300) this month.

He is currently making around 200 fiber glass figurines of various sizes which he plans to sell in Riau and Jambi. "I don't take orders as I sell my products door to door. By chance, Imlek is around the corner and orders are increasing," Jasmin told the Post on Thursday.

At his rented house in the Padang Bulan area in Medan, Jasmin produces various sizes of figurines, from the size of a fist to 30 cm tall. He is able to produce around 50 figurines, 4 medium size and two large statues daily.

According to him, the most sought after items are the 12 Chinese animal astrological signs.

"I usually sell a set of 12 animal signs, but I don't turn down offers for only one animal," he said.

He said he could only sell around 15 sets a month outside the Chinese New Year celebrations, but current sales have reached 20 sets, excluding large statues.

"The cost is quite high because all materials are imported," he said.

Joss stick industries also benefit from the occasion, as many of them have to turn down orders because they are overwhelmed, such as Wagiran, who runs his business in the Pinang Baris area of Medan.

"Orders have been increasing for the past three months. They could reach up to 300 sticks daily. But I only accept orders according to my capacity due to the limited number of workers," said Wagiran, who has been working for 15 years and only employs five workers.

According to him, he has produced around 5,000 sticks measuring between 1 and 2.4 meters tall in the last three months. During normal days, he could produce an average of 1,000 sticks monthly.

In Yogyakarta, the Imlek has brought blessings for fishermen along the southern coast, as fish prices have risen significantly. The prices of several kinds of fish have raised between Rp 2,000 and Rp 5,000 per kilogram, but the price of pomfret has risen up two-fold.

"The price of super pomfret was only Rp 55,000 previously, but it has continued to rise a week ahead of Imlek," Mugari, a fisherman in Samas beach, Srigading, Bantul, said.

"It cost Rp 60,000 five days ago, then rose to Rp 80,000 and now has become Rp 120,000."

An Indonesian-Chinese figure in Yogyakarta, Bimo Yuwono, said Imlek was a tradition marking the change in year during the autumn.

"In China, Imlek is commemorated as a post-harvest celebration during autumn," said Bimo.

One of its traditions is hanging the front part of the house with calligraphy, one of them "i", meaning remnant, or savings. The letter "i" is also perceived to mean fish.

The choice of pomfret is because that is the type of fish that meets the criteria of good taste and shape.

The fish is used as a compliment for Imlek offerings.