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Pesona Danau Toba celebrates Indonesian Independence
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Scenery of Lake Toba (Pesona Danau Toba/-)
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elebrating the 71st anniversary of Indonesian independence, Karnaval Kemerdekaan Pesona Danau Toba (KKPDT) was held from Aug. 20 to 21 in Parapat and Balige, Toba Samosir district.
With at least 26 provinces, 26 districts, as well as municipalities in North Sumatra, and seven districts in the Lake Toba area participating, the carnival was filled with many attractive events. Attractions included a parade of ships that were decorated with colorful lamps, the first ever floating stage on Lake Toba that hosted a musical show, Pesona Tarian Kontemporer (contemporary dance) based on traditional dance, a Batak opera performance, along with a culinary festival in Parapat, carnival and stage performance in Balige.
(Read also: Jokowi pushes for faster development of Lake Toba)
“Aside from celebrating independence, the event is one way to promote Lake Toba as one of the ultimate tourist destinations in Indonesia,” says Tourism Minister Arief Yahya, “The attractiveness of Lake Toba’s nature and the local culture will be a magnet for visitors.”
Spanning 3.5 kilometers, the Lake Toba carnival route stretched from Soposurung to Simpang Sibulele. It moves through the traditional market in Balerong that consists of six majestic buildings that were built in 1930 decorated with Batak Gorda carvings.
“The carnival will be attended by no less than 50,000 people,” predicted chairman of the KKPDT committee, Premita Fifi, in a press conference in Jakarta on Aug. 10. The event appeared to draw a crowd close to that.
Also on show were 700 women who wore traditional clothing while holding tandok (head baskets) filled with rice, 300 seruling (flute) players from the Humbang Hasundutan group, and other traditional performances. President Joko Widodo attended the carnival together with first lady, Iriana Joko Widodo, wearing traditional clothes by designer Edward Hutabarat. (asw)
