T

he Chinese-Indonesian community and the Yogyakarta municipality have held the 2012 Chinese Cultural Week, with this year’s theme being “Strengthening Diversity in Yogyakarta”, at the height of Lunar New Year celebrations better known as Imlek.

As in previous years, the five-day event that finished on Monday was held in Kampong Pecinan, Ketandan, near Yogyakarta’s iconic Jl. Malioboro.

Ketandan Alley was filled with 68 kiosks serving various Chinese delicacies.

The Poo Tay Hee Theater featured 40 cultural troupes who performed every night. A Mandarin speech contest and Chinese cultural shows were also held.

The activities ended with the Jogja Dragon Festival and cultural carnival. Twelve dragon-dance groups were on show.

A large dragon, measuring 136 meters in length, was the master icon at the closing event and earned a place in the MURI Indonesian Records Museum.

The first Chinese Cultural Week was held in 2006, organized by the Chinese-Indonesian community in Yogyakarta, Gadjah Mada University’s Traditional Food Research Center and the municipal council.

Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X opened the event on Thursday and said that it should be preserved as Chinese customs have become part of Indonesia’s national culture and it allowed intercultural interaction.

He said that the event was positive as it offered entertainment and culture.

“I hope the event will get better every year,” the Sultan said.