About 3,000 people to celebrate Lunar New Year in Bekasi
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 01/17/2012 4:23 PM
Some 3,000 people of Chinese descent in Greater Jakarta will celebrate Lunar New Year at Hok Lay Kiong temple in Bekasi, West Java, on Jan.23.
“At present, the preparations for the Lunar New Year are up to 90 percent complete,” Sudrajat, one of the event’s organizing committee from Pancaran Tri Dharma Foundation, said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency, adding that the preparations would finish on Thursday.
He said that the number of people of Chinese descent, who would celebrate Lunar New Year, was expected to increase to around 3,000 people in 2012 from around 2,000 people in 2011.
Sudrajat said that the estimate was based on the number of candles received by the committee from people of Chinese descent to provide illuminations.
“We have already received around 1,000 candles of several sizes, even though the celebration is still one more week away,” he said.
The celebration will start on Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. with barongsai (Lion Dance) performances, sermons, musical performances and mass prayers.
“The peak of Lunar New Year takes place at the stroke of midnight with the congregation performing mass prayers and then setting off fireworks to start the year of the Water Dragon,” said Sudrajat.
Lunar New Year is the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar and will bring in the year of the Water Dragon. (drs)
