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Gendawangan, jianzi to grace Yogyakarta's Chinese Cultural Week
Yogyakarta’s Pekan Budaya Tionghoa (PBTY, Chinese Cultural Week) will kick off today at Ketandan village, Yogyakarta. Held until March 2, the event is related to the Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh celebrations.
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The week will feature events such as lion dancing, calligraphy competitions and karaoke competitions. (Shutterstock/Toa55)
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ogyakarta’s Pekan Budaya Tionghoa (PBTY, Chinese Cultural Week) will kick off today at Ketandan village, Yogyakarta. Held until March 2, the event is related to the Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh celebrations.
Tempo reported that in its 13th edition, the festival will bring out Chinese art performances that are considered less popular.
“For the first time in this event we will exhibit gendawangan art and jiànzi sport,” said one of the PBTY committee Gotama Fantoni in Yogyakarta this week.
Gendawangan is akin to ondel-ondel (giant Betawi effigies), draped in Chinese attire. Also like ondel-ondel, gendawangan will entertain visitors by dancing or joining in photos.
Jiànzi is a Chinese sport in which players aim to keep a shuttlecock in the air by using their bodies, but not their hands. Like badminton, the game is played on a field with a net between the players.
Jiànzi's shuttlecock is made from rubber soles or plastic discs, typically with four feathers sprouting out. “There are about 50 jiànzi shuttlecocks available for players and visitors who want to give it a try,” said Fantoni.
The festival’s theme this year is Archipelago Culture Harmony. They are represented in many varieties of culinary delights, with 148 food stands participating.
There are four stages for art performances, ranging from Potehi shadow puppets, ancient Chinese furniture exhibitions and a storytelling competition in Mandarin.
There will also be a Chinese calligraphy demonstration, Mandarin karaoke competition, lion dance performances and a shadow puppet painting competition. For more visual amusement, there is the Lantern Park with a Rp 20,000 fee per person.
“The opening of the PBTY will be marked with a big parade along Jl. Malioboro as well as a lion dance by personnel of the military academy and six art groups,” Fantoni said.
Other art forms from Indonesia will also grace the festival, such as topeng ireng (black mask) from Magelang, Central Java, and kraton (Javanese palace) soldier artistry.
Roy Setyawan, who is also in the committee, stated that the festival is prepared in such a way to reinforce Yogyakarta as a cultural town and a city of tolerance. From the festival’s first edition, it has embraced arts from communities like Aceh and Papua. (wen)
