The festival committee head, Buyung, said the event was the fourth held after a three-year absence.

“Alhamdulillah [thank God] we gained support from local figures. We want this to be a breakthrough after the absence,” he said.

Buyung added that he wanted to promote the goatskin competition during the festival as Tanah Abang is popularly known as a slaughter spot for goats.

“Therefore, there is this competition during the festival. The winners were judged by their speed and tidiness when peeling off the skin,” he said.

Buyung expressed hope that next year's event would be bigger and feature Tanah Abang cultural characteristics.

“We hope that next year this [festival] will be merrier because it is not only an effort to preserve our culture, but also a way to maintain silaturahmi [good relations] with fellow residents,” he said.

Central Jakarta Mayor Bayu Megantara who opened the festival said he appreciated the Tanah Abang Lebaran Festival for promoting Betawi culture. In addition, the event was deemed to benefit small and medium enterprises, he said.

“Hopefully, this [event] can promote Betawi culture in Tanah Abang and the goatskin competition can become part of the identity of Central Jakarta,’’ he said, wartakota.tribunnews.com reported. (sau)

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