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Jakarta celebrates Cap Go Meh with festival, performances
Visitors can expect to enjoy various forms of art and performances at the celebrations, including ondel-ondel (giant Betawi effigies), wushu, Chinese lute and film screenings.
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A Cap Go Meh parade takes place in Glodok, West Jakarta, on March 4, 2018. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
The Jakarta administration has organized Cap Go Meh celebrations that will last until Sunday.
Also known as the "happy day", Cap Go Meh, which translates to the fifteenth night, is what closes 15 days of Chinese New Year festivities. This year, Cap Go Meh falls on Saturday.
The festivities began Thursday and celebrations are currently being held in five areas: in front of the Grand Hyatt hotel, Dukuh Atas, the Kendal Tunnel, in front of the FX Sudirman shopping mall and the Thamrin City shopping mall.
Festivities last from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. before continuing again at 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Visitors can expect to enjoy various forms of art and performances at the celebrations, including ondel-ondel (giant Betawi effigies), wushu, Chinese lute and film screenings.
On Saturday, a festival will be held at the Thamrin 10 culinary center and the Chinatown of Glodok Market in West Jakarta.
Read also: Mental health issues to cloud the Year of the Rat: Expert
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is scheduled to attend the peak of Cap Go Meh at Glodok Market on Saturday.
On Sunday, the festival will continue in the Car Free Day area with lion dance performances.
To mark the festivities, there will be a film screening at Thamrin 10.
Hendra Hidayat, head of mental and spiritual education of the Jakarta administration, said the festival aimed to preserve the diversity of Jakarta.
“Jakarta belongs to everyone. We want to always take care of and preserve equality, togetherness, brotherhood and unity for all people in Jakarta,” Hendra said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday. (gis/wng)
