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Cap Go Meh party relocates following hard-liner protests
Too good to miss: People try to document a barongsai (lion dance) performance during Cap Go Meh celebrations at Semarang City Hall, Central Java, on Sunday
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span class="inline inline-center">Too good to miss: People try to document a barongsai (lion dance) performance during Cap Go Meh celebrations at Semarang City Hall, Central Java, on Sunday.(JP/Suherdjoko)
The show must go on.
Thousands of people from various backgrounds flocked to Semarang City Hall in Central Java on Sunday night to watch various traditional Chinese performances during a Cap Go Meh party as part of 2568 Chinese New Year celebrations.
The event had initially been planned to take place in the yard of the Central Java Grand Mosque in the provincial capital.
However, it was moved to City Hall following protests from the Muslim Community Forum Semarang (FUIS).
Among those attending the event, entitled “Cultural Rainbow Knitting Nusantara,” were Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Mohammad Wahid Supriyadi, Semarang Mayor Hendrar Prihadi and Semarang Police chief Sr. Comr. Abiyoso Seno Aji.
A number of representatives of religious organizations were also seen at the venue, including officials from the Central Java chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and religious leaders of different faiths, such as Buddhist monk Bhante Dhammasubho Mahathera and Catholic priest Aloysius Budi Purnomo.
They enjoyed Chinese dances and live music performances, as well as liong (dragon dance) and barongsai (lion dance) shows.
Those who attended the event were also invited to consume 12,000 servings of lontong cap go meh (rice cakes with various richly flavored side dishes) to be recorded by the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI).
The initial plan to hold the Cap Go Meh celebration in the yard of the grand mosque had been announced to the mass media and information about the event had been disseminated through social media, with banners installed on Jl. Majapahit and Jl. Gajah.
Yet, on Friday, the FUIS invited Muslim figures and leaders of Muslim organizations in the province to gather at the Central Java Police headquarters to protest the plan to hold the event at the mosque.
“We invited the figures and leaders who still care for their mosque,” FUIS chairman Wahyu said in a statement.
Following the protest, the event’s organizing committee quickly moved the venue to City Hall on Jl. Pemuda.
“This is also the big house for Semarang people. There should be no problem,” chairperson of the Indonesian Chinese Family Social Association’s (PSMTI) Central Java branch, Dewi Susilo Budiharjo told The Jakarta Post in Semarang on Saturday.
Dewi said the celebration was a cultural event and had nothing to do with religion. She added that only the venue had changed.
Some 12,000 people were expected to attend the celebration to enjoy its signature dish, which has Chinese and Indonesian influences, symbolizing the harmony among people of different religions, races, ethnicities and groups.
Dewi also said there was no pork in lontong cap gomeh. “It is cooked in coconut milk. It definitely has no pork because coconut milk is not suitable for pork,” she said.
Separately, Aloysius said there was no need to question the change of venue. What was more important, he said, was the positive side of having it moved to City Hall, thereby making it easier for people to attend the event.
“Don’t let a celebration that promotes unity and friendship in diversity damage brotherhood,” he said.
Cap Go Meh in the Hokkian language means the 15th night, also known as the first full moon of the month, according to the lunar calender.
