TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Residents hoping for better future for Old Town
Cherished tradition: Semarang residents perform ruwatan, a Javanese traditional ritual, seeking divine blessings for the Central Java provincial capitalâs Old Town to reassert itself as the cityâs most important landmark
Change Size
Cherished tradition: Semarang residents perform ruwatan, a Javanese traditional ritual, seeking divine blessings for the Central Java provincial capitalâs Old Town to reassert itself as the cityâs most important landmark. Built by the Dutch colonial rulers in the 19th century, the Old Town has been struggling to survive urban modernization. (JP/Suherjoko) (JP/Suherjoko)
C
span class="inline inline-center">Cherished tradition: Semarang residents perform ruwatan, a Javanese traditional ritual, seeking divine blessings for the Central Java provincial capital's Old Town to reassert itself as the city's most important landmark. Built by the Dutch colonial rulers in the 19th century, the Old Town has been struggling to survive urban modernization. (JP/Suherjoko)
Gemstone seller Abu Lawas was happy to watch a ruwatan (Javanese purification ceremony) in the Kota Lama (Old Town) area of Semarang, Central Java recently, which was held by residents grouped under the Semarang Inter-Community Forum.
'We are grateful to see more people paying attention to Kota Lama. Ruwatan is a form of cultural attention,' said Abu, who has been in the antique business for 30 years.
Abu is among dozens of vendors who have been breathing life into Kota Lama during the past year. They usually gather near Blenduk Church -- where visitors and photography lovers also congregate -- every second weekend.
For the ruwatan event, held in the middle of August, Semarang Inter-Community Forum members prepared various foods, including nasi tumpeng (ceremonial rice cones) and displayed mounds of agricultural produce.
Those involved donned traditional Javanese garb from Semarang. The ritual commenced with a prayer for the safety and conservation of Kota Lama and Semarang's residents, before participants paraded the rice cones along the streets of Kota Lama.
The event was also attended by Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi.
Owners of buildings in Kota Lama and the Semarang municipality expected that the ruwatan ritual would help to purify and preserve the historical value of the buildings.
Cultural observer Al Agus, who led the ruwatan ceremony, said the event could be interpreted as a purification.
'So, Kota Lama can be cleansed of everything negative. After it has been purified, let's maintain it together so it can remain beautiful and be preserved,' Agus said.
Hendrar said Semarang was 467 years old and added that the history of city was intrinsically linked with Kota Lama.
'Let us preserve Semarang's heritage, including Kota Lama. Eventually, Kota Lama will be recognized as the icon of Semarang.'
Kota Lama, also called Oudstadt, is a former business district established in the Dutch colonial era. The area, in which buildings were built in the European architectural style of the 17th century, is also dubbed Little Netherlands.
It is located apart from other residential areas in Semarang and has unique characteristics.
There are 105 heritage buildings in the 31 hectares of Kota Lama. All the buildings are neatly arranged in blocks and are separated by straight and wide roads, in the style of European cities.
As many as 50 buildings are still standing strong, such as the Blenduk Church that was built in 1753, the Jiwa Sraya insurance building, PT Perkebunan XV, which is still under renovation, as well as state shipping firm PT Pelni and several other government offices.
Semarang Inter-Community Forum activist Wawan Nugroho said more people are beginning to pay attention to Kota Lama. He said at least 25 communities are concerned about the preservation of the area, such as Arsitektur Semarang, Klithikan Kota Lama, Lopen, Fotografi, Onthel Semarang and the Semarang Historical Society.
'We want Kota Lama to become an icon in Semarang. So far, a lot of communities are concerned
about the preservation of Kota Lama, but many old buildings have been abandoned and are on the brink of collapse,' he told The Jakarta Post.
