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s the country struggles to maintain harmony and tolerance amid its religious and cultural diversity, citizens find Independence Day, which falls on Aug. 17, a moment to express their patriotism.

Despite it not being required to hold flag-hoisting ceremonies, except for students and civil servants, many neighborhoods and groups held the ceremony on Friday.

In a neighborhood in Serpong, Banten, residents wearing batik woke up early on the national holiday and lined up neatly on a basketball court at 7 a.m.

This year is the fifth flag ceremony in the neighborhood, which was initiated by residents.

Previously, they used to have a midnight reflection on Independence Day and war heroes. However, after considering the costs of torches and candles, they changed it into a flag ceremony.

A resident, Ikhsan, 47, said he always participated in the celebration. He cited that gathering with other residents was among his reasons to join the event.

He said he used the moment to pray and recall the things that had passed.

“I can pray for the national heroes, gather with other residents and remember the moments back in high school,” he said.

In Bandung, a group of artists gathered at the Indonesia Menggugat building to raise the flag.

In front of the building, they burned incense sticks, which were pinned to a coconut. The coconut was put on a tray along with a cup of coffee, cup of tea and other offerings commonly found in a traditional Sundanese ritual.

Portraits of founding fathers, first president Sukarno and first vice president Mohammad Hatta, were present inside the building.

At least 50 people attended the flag-raising ceremony, which has been held since 2010.

They read out the national ideology of Pancasila and sang the national anthem “Indonesia Raya” and other patriotic songs, but the strong influence of Sundanese rituals meant the ceremony was different from others.

Syarif Maulana, a blogger and lecturer, said he followed the ceremony several times because he could relate to the spirituality of the ritual.

“I saw the invitation on Facebook. I can still feel the solemnity of the ceremony although it is blended with traditional ritual,” he said.

Dimas Pratama, 27, who works for a legal aid institute, said the ceremony gives him a better interpretation of Independence Day.

“This ceremony [at the Indonesia Menggugat] gives me an alternative to the conformity of regular ceremonies. But I also got cramped feet afterward as I have not attended any ceremony for 10 years,” he said.

Law No. 24/2009 on the national flag obliges citizens to raise national flags in front of houses and other buildings on Independence Day, but they are not required to hold ceremonies.

Only civil servants and students are obliged to hold ceremonies as regulated by other government regulations.

Residents in other regions also held ceremonies in their own way.

In Klaten, Central Java, a military officer even climbed a flagpole when the red-and-white flag was seen falling off.

In South Jakarta, residents of Kalibata City apartments reported the building management to the police after it took down flags that they had put on air conditioners on their balconies.

Resident Nyimas Rachmadina, 40, said she was asked to have the flag removed by the Kalibata City management at her apartment in Damar Tower.

“We consider the incident blasphemous to the national flag,” Kalibata City resident representative Sandi Edison said.

The residents accused the management of violating Article 7 of the national flag law that mandates citizens who have a home or other properties to raise flags.

Sandi claimed there were other residents from two other towers who had their flags removed by the apartment’s management. “We’re still collecting information,” he said.

Ikhsan, a representative of the Kalibata City building management, defended the actions of his staff, calling on residents to raise flags properly in front of the buildings.

“A flag is supposed to be hung on a good pole in a respectable place,” he said. (stu)