'I don't design clothes, I design dreams' (Ralph Lauren)

The Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival, organized by the Banyuwangi regency administration on Sept. 7, not only presented the expressive and dramatic fashion of the Osing ethnic group, but also attempted to build the dream of turning Banyuwangi into a world renowned tourist region.

Haylee Burton, an exchange student from Australia, was beaming with pleasure. She and her peers from Greece and Croatia kept busy with their gadgets, sending pictures from the Banyuwangi Ethno Carnival to relatives back home.

'They're curious about the costumes I'm wearing. I'm dressed in Javanese kebaya [blouse] with a horned hat like a Viking captain's headgear. They kept asking about the festival as it resembled the famous carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,' she said.

The headdresses with horns indeed livened up the fashion festival in Banyuwangi. Banyuwangi regent Abdullah Azwar Anas said this third annual carnival was actually themed kebo-keboan (buffalos).

'With buffalos as its theme, many of the costumes worn by participants have some semblance to the animal. Unlike the fashion carnival in Brazil, in this program we're featuring the cultural side of our community rather than sexy women,' the regent pointed out.

In Banyuwangi, according to Anas, one cannot find bikinis or discotheques. However, Banyuwangi offers wide-ranging cultural diversity and natural abundance.

'I realize that the festival won't have a huge impact on the welfare of locals. But this event is aimed at displaying our pride in our own culture,' he noted.

As indicated by Anas, the Banyuwangi community is heterogeneous and open to change. Banyuwangi people can easily use the Internet, as connections have been installed in various remote parts of the regency.

'The art of kebo-keboan in its original form is more terrifying because it bears some magical force. But in this carnival, you can see how the community has made some modifications,' he added.

Kebo-keboan is a thanksgiving tradition observed by the Osing community in Banyuwangi during the paddy planting Javanese month of Suro. The art is performed by several people clad in buffalo-like outfits, with their bodies painted black and their heads adorned with horns. A ritual makes the players seem as though they are possessed by spirits.

'I wish to transform Banyuwangi into a tourist destination, second to Bali. We've built infrastructure and now we're building the community here,' declared Anas.

Budi Pramono, an Osing community member taking part in the carnival, said that since this program did not coincide with the month of Suro, his ethnic group conducted a special ritual to ward off mishaps.

In1998, Banyuwangi was widely known as a santet ( black magic) city following the killing of hundreds of alleged sorcerers believed to be capable of harming others from a distance. Hasnan Singodimayan, a Banyuwangi cultural expert, said despite the lack of historical records, santet had long prevailed in the Banyuwangi community.

' Photos by JP/Indra Harsaputra

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