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Jakarta celebrates Chinese New Year with tradition and fun
Jakarta and its residents welcomed the Year of the Wood Dragon on Saturday with a variety of public and private festivities as the official campaign period drew to a close.
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A worshipper lights a candle on Feb. 9, 2024, the eve of Chinese New Year, at Toa Se Bio Temple in Glodok, West Jakarta. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A)
J
akartans ushered in the Year of the Wood Dragon on Feb. 10 with family gatherings and religious rituals as the city hosted a variety of festive events and activities.
For 24-year-old Okniel Milenium from Central Jakarta, celebrating with family members and friends is essential to marking Imlek, or Chinese New Year, each year.
“I am glad that I could have a celebratory meal with my family this morning. We also plan to take a holiday together later,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Okniel said the atmosphere of this year’s Imlek was different from the last few years because it fell just days before election day and Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14.
This year’s Chinese New Year also fell on Saturday, the last day of campaigning, when presidential candidates made their final appeal to voters at major rallies in Jakarta and Central Java.
“Because many events are happening in a row [this month], the atmosphere [of Imlek] this year felt more festive and special for me,” he said with a chuckle.
But 28-year-old Hengki from Central Jakarta, who asked to be identified only by his first name, felt that this year’s celebration was more muted than last year’s because of the election campaigns.
