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Jakarta's Cathedral Church adorned with Betawi cultural decorations
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Churchgoers arrive at Jakarta's Cathedral Church to join the Christmas Eve mass on Dec. 24. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
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hristmas this year marked the first time Jakarta's Cathedral Church in Central Jakarta was adorned with Betawi cultural decorations.
Christmas' traditional ball-shaped decorations fit perfectly with the Betawi gold, red and green paper decorations and miniature ondel-ondel (Betawi effigies) near the Cathedral Church entrance. A miniature horse cart with the coachman donning traditional Betawi male attire carrying the Garuda and the state's motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) highlighted Betawi culture in the church along with a bamboo Christmas tree.
"This year we presented Betawi-themed decorations, such as the coachman and the horse cart to replace Santa Claus," the church's spokesperson Susyana Suwadie said on Sunday as reported by Kompas.com.
The Christmas organizer chose the theme in order to promote Indonesia's local culture. Recycled materials were used to make the decorations as Cathedral Church also wanted to introduce a go green concept to churchgoers, she said.
Thousands of parishioners visited the Cathedral to join Christmas mass held five times on Sunday: 5 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
