JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

Many Jakartans use the New Year’s holiday as a time to escape from day-to-day demands while setting new goals and aspirations for the upcoming year

For well-known Indonesian pianist and composer Ananda Sukarlan, 49, New Year’s celebration — the countdown on Dec. 31 and the celebration on Jan. 1 — is a chance to catch up with lots of old friends at various social gatherings starting from 7 p.m., to get away from day-to-day routines for a while and re-energize himself.

“Various friends would invite me, so I will go from house to house in various parts of Jakarta. I actually like social gatherings. Connecting with other people always inspires me, whether in writing music or in terms of my own worldview. Furthermore, writing music is a solitary activity so meeting a lot of people is actually healthy for me,” Ananda told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Friday.

Apparently, leisure time does not always have to be spent with other people. For Ananda, swimming and spending time watching the sunset at the poolside are also ideal activities to unwind, including during this long festive season holiday.

Similarly, 26-year-old writer Dewi Kharisma Michellia, who won the 2012 Jakarta Arts Council novel competition with her work Surat Panjang Tentang Jarak Kita yang Jutaan Tahun Cahaya (Long Letter About Our Distance Spanning Millions of Light Years), chooses to take refuge from her demanding assignments as a fifth-semester philosophy student at the Driyarkara Philosophy Academy in Jakarta by escaping to books and movies.

“Growing up, the New Year’s celebration was always about rituals, including eating noodles, which symbolizes a wish for a long life, while taking a break from daily activities,” Dewi, who hails from Bali, said.

Being creative workers, both Ananda and Dewi agree that being idle for the whole festive season holiday has almost driven them crazy, so they both allocated time for their creative endeavors this holiday. The composer is writing music while the writer is completing her upcoming novel on the subject of immigration.

Where to go in Jakarta

As the Jakartans above have shown, there are many ways people use to relax and unwind during the New Year’s holiday. A number of hotels and restaurants in Jakarta are also hosting their own parties and culinary presentations. At times, however, these celebrations can be quite pricey.

Here is the good news: if you want to have fun hanging out with friends in an open space while enjoying some food, drinks and music, you do not have to travel far or spend a lot of money. There are some great public New Year’s celebration alternatives for Jakartans who want to do it in an affordable and down-to-earth way.

The Taman Impian Jaya Ancol amusement park in North Jakarta, for instance, is set to host an open-air food and arts bazaar, in conjunction with its ongoing Archipelago Culinary Festival, which has been running from Dec. 23 and will last until Jan. 1, 2018.

Besides offering food, the festival also displays numerous artistic presentations, including the Saman dance from Aceh, Reog Ponorogo dance from East Java as well as various dances from Kalimantan. The fun at the New Year’s Day countdown and celebration in Ancol will also include a 15 minute fireworks show accompanied by lively musical entertainment.

In addition to these features, Ancol’s famous Art Market, Pasar Seni, will also present various forms of the traditional arts of the Betawi people — who are native Jakarta residents — from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, 2018, comprising martial arts demonstrations, traditional Betawi Theater called lenong, as well as various other local dances.

On the evening of Dec. 31, Ancol will also present a seaside carnival enlivened by a musical presentation by well-known musicians such as Edo Kondologit and Sandhy Sandoro on the compound’s floating stage area. The carnival will also highlight artistic traditions from Eastern Indonesia.

If Ancol in North Jakarta is way too far for you, do not worry. Many fun events will also be held in Central Jakarta, centering on the National Monument spanning over Jl. Medan Merdeka as well as the famous Jl. MH Thamrin.

Various culinary and musical presentations will take place in these two spots. The celebration in Jl. MH Thamrin will feature various food from 34 provinces across Indonesia while selling handicrafts manufactured by local small and medium enterprises.

Setting new aspirations

Taking a break from day-to-day activities with all its tiring hassles to reflect and review one’s life usually brings some insight on how one could improve next year. This is why people are getting into the habit of making New Year’s resolutions, for both the professional and personal aspects of their lives.

“I have found that I have been too easygoing with my life. Now, I want to get more serious, for instance, by learning various European languages because I’ve found that I enjoy traveling and would like to be able to converse with locals using their native languages,” said Dewi, who was accepted into a writer’s residential program in France this year, an opportunity she used to explore European countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.

She added that she would also like to start exercising regularly again next year to enhance her physical fitness, having neglected her regimen for a little while.

Ananda, meanwhile, would like to write a new opera next year, possibly connecting its theme with Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition whereby one’s brain cells are not distributed evenly, resulting in great gifts in certain pursuits but also challenges in facing life’s other tasks.

Ananda himself has the condition and has been socializing with people who have a similar condition throughout this year.

He also has one wish for Indonesians in general, “I hope Indonesians will be more tolerant in dealing with minorities,” he said.

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