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Singkawang breaks record for Cap Go Meh celebrations
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Tolerant city: A resident walks in front of a Chinese temple, locally known as klenteng, in the downtown area of Singkawang, West Kalimantan. (JP/Severianus Endi)
T
he Saint Yosep Singkawang Group has submitted another achievement for the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) by making the highest number of dragon displays for the celebration of Chinese New Year and the Cap Go Meh Festival.
The West Kalimantan-based group has made nine dragons in total.
Bong Sin Fo, the group's dragon-making chairman, said Saint Yosep Singkawang Group had previously broken an MURI record in a similar field in 2017, when it had created the longest dragon in Indonesia, measuring 178 meters.
Bong Sin Fo explained that the MURI certificate this year was set to be bestowed on Feb. 28 at the Mulia Singakwang College of Economics (STIE) in West Kalimantan. "Two of the dragons are already placed inside the Kridasana Stadium; meanwhile, the remaining seven will be placed inside the multipurpose building inside the STIE-Mulia," Bong Sin Fo said, as quoted by Tempo.co.
All nine dragons were supposed to be placed at the Krisdana Stadium. However, because the roof of the stands to be used for dragon placement was deemed inadequate, it was decided that two dragons should suffice.
Read also: Thousands of lanterns light up Singkawang for Chinese New Year
Separately, Singkawang's Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh committee chairman, Tjhai Leonardi, said the city had also made history this year by installing 15,000decorative lanterns, surpassing a previous MURI record.
"Furthermore, as for the tatung (the Hakka Chinese word for a person who is possessed by the gods or by the spirits of ancestors), there were 850 tatung as of Feb. 14. This is also a terrific record," Tjhai Leonardi said.
The celebrations in Singakawang this year were also commemorated with ornaments of the 12 shiau (Chinese zodiac signs), as well as artistic lanterns, such as the God of Fortune, which measures 4.5 m in height and is installed in the Tri Dharma Bumi Raya temple in the city center.
Singkawang Mayor Tjhai Chui Mie said the city's residents should be proud, as Singakawang's Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh celebrations were the biggest in Indonesia.
"Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh in Singkawang have become a permanent event at the Tourism Ministry," Tjhai Chui Mie added.
The city’s past MURI records related to the annual celebrations include the greatest number of lanterns (10,895 lanterns) in 2009 and the highest number of tatung in a parade (777 tatung) in 2010.
Furthermore, records also include the creation of the largest lantern in 2011, the largest kue keranjang (basket cake made from glutinous rice) in the same year and a replica of China's Great Wall in 2012.
"Some achievements are certainly the pride of the entire Singkawang's community, because we made it happen together," Tjhai Chui Mie said. (liz/wen)
