Amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life in Tegal Pondoh village on the border of Tangerang and Bogor, where Chinese traditions remain strong, a group of Chinese descents keep their ancestors’ tradition alive. Chinese culture observer, David Kwa, believes Chinese-descents living in the village are among the few people who still practice the traditions of their ancestors.
One of them is Tjiong Sunken, also know has Kusnadi.
Last Sunday, Kusnadi celebrated the wedding of his daughter. The traditional wedding ceremony, called Chiou Thau, literally means “doing one’s hair”. “Doing the bride’s hair’ is a sacred part of the wedding ritual. Kusnadi held a three-day wedding party during which well-wishers were entertained with traditional musical performances like Gambang Kromong and Lenong – both traditionally Betawi.
“A classic gambang kromong will soon be history, because many [gambang kromong] troupes incorporate dangdut into their performances,” said David Kwa.
Other than Chinese families in Tangerang, those living in Padang and Makassar are also known to practice their ancient Chinese traditions. Without proper attention and support for families of Chinese descent, these valuable traditions will soon be history, said David.
Text and photos by P.J. Leo
