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Muara Angke fishermen celebrate Nadran
Merrymaking: Fishermen race to snatch offerings from a boat during Sedekah Laut Nadran, an annual traditional ritual to celebrate the peak of the fishing season in Kali Adem, Muara Angke, North Jakarta
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Merrymaking: Fishermen race to snatch offerings from a boat during Sedekah Laut Nadran, an annual traditional ritual to celebrate the peak of the fishing season in Kali Adem, Muara Angke, North Jakarta.(JP/Seto Wardhana) (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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span class="caption">Merrymaking: Fishermen race to snatch offerings from a boat during Sedekah Laut Nadran, an annual traditional ritual to celebrate the peak of the fishing season in Kali Adem, Muara Angke, North Jakarta.(JP/Seto Wardhana)
Kali Adem, a fishing village in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, was more colorful than usual during a recent event, in which the fishermen decorated their boats on the riverbanks with hanging snacks, soft drink bottles and colorful flags.
The festivities became even merrier as thousands of fishermen and their family members gathered around the boats, smiling as they brought more food and drink items as offerings.
'We are holding Nadran, an annual ritual to express our gratitude to God and the sea,' said head organizer, Warnita. 'This morning, we will wash the sesaji [offerings] in the middle of the sea to thank God and the sea for this year's blessings.'
Warnita then pointed to a small bamboo ship floating among other boats. It carried a pile of the fishermen's offerings, including a buffalo head, and various food items, such as bananas and sticky rice cake with chicken filling.
According to Warnita, locals will sail out to sea to wash and sink the boat of offerings. As it was sinking, some fishermen would swim to fight over the floating offerings. Meanwhile, others still in the boats would consume the food and drink they had brought.
As the clock struck 9 a.m., just as Warnita had said, hundreds of boats started to sail into the ocean, with one of the boats bringing up the rear, pulling along the boat of offerings.
People cheered and waved to each other as the boats left. Some parents sang along with their children and pointed out white storks, which were perching on tree branches and stones along the estuary.
As the cheering crowd arrived at the end of the estuary, a rope used to pull the boat of offerings became jammed in a propeller of an Indonesian Military vessel, that was monitoring the event. This, however, did not stop the people cheering as dozens of men immediately jumped into the water and swam out to the boat. They started to take as many of the offerings as they could as their families cheered them on.
One of the fishermen managed to grab the buffalo head and threw it out to the sea.
Warnita explained that the part in which people swam out to retrieve floating offerings was the exciting peak of the celebration. He went on to say that after the ritual, these families continued their trip to nearby islands to enjoy a picnic.
On the same day, around 20 Muara Angke fishermen and environmental activists from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) held a rally to protest a reclamation project on Jakarta's north coast.
They sailed to Bidadari Island in the Thousand Islands regency and Islet G, a man-made islet being built by PT Muara Wisesa Samudra, a subsidiary of Agung Podomoro Land.
Saepudin, a representative of the protesters, said that they had chosen to stage the rally rather than to join the Nadran celebrations because they disagreed with the involvement of Muara Wisesa in the event.
He explained that he and some other fishermen had initially taken part in organizing the Nadran, but said that they had resigned upon discovering that some organizers had asked the company to sponsor the event.
'Most fishermen taking part in the Nadran celebration also opposed the idea. However, we persuaded them to stay involved in the celebration as we [the protesters] are committed to keep the celebration going despite our rally,' Saepudin said.
Saepudin said that most fishermen in Muara Angke rejected the reclamation project, despite Muara Wisesa claiming otherwise.
The Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Union (KNTI) along with Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) have filed a lawsuit challenging the construction permit for Islet G, marketed as Pluit City. The fishermen say that the projects have crippled their livelihoods and their ability to fish in the sea.
Meanwhile, Muara Wisesa spokesman Pramono claimed that all Muara Angke fishermen supported the project because the company had communicated intensively about the plan and its impact on them.
He added that the good communications had enabled them to work together in organizing the Nadran event. (agn)
