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10 unique Indonesian traditions to ring in the new year
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Pluralistic parade: A youth dressed as Hanoman from the Sanskrit epic Ramayana, with a black-and-white sarong ubiquitous to Balinese Hinduism, takes part in the Kunci Taon parade in Manado, North Sulawesi, which is predominantly Christian. (Wikimedia Commons/Binti Dapubiwaha) (Wikimedia Commons/Binti Dapubiwaha)
M
any people have been getting ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve, which coincides with the ‘malam Minggu’ (Saturday night) fever this week. While most people around the world will be marking the transition from 2022 to 2023 with a fireworks show or countdown parties, the unique traditions below have a special significance for Indonesians.
New Year’s Eve is usually full of joyous celebration and hopeful expectations of what the coming year may bring. For many, it marks a fresh start, even a time to reinvent or better themselves. It is also a time to be grateful for all that we have experienced and overcome in the past 12 months.
Every country has its New Year traditions, and Indonesia have several unique ways of welcoming the coming year that are representative of its diverse cultures and pluralistic society. Here, we journey west to east across the archipelago for a glimpse of these varied celebrations.
Marbinda: North Sumatra
Marbinda is a tradition observed primarily by the Batak community in North Sumatra. Similar to Idul Adha, the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, Marbinda involves ritual animal slaughter followed by sharing the meat equally with others.
To have enough funds to purchase the sacrificial animals, the members of a Batak community pool their money together before Christmas or New Year’s Eve. The collective fund determines the kind of animal they can buy, and buffaloes or pigs are often sacrificed during the celebration.
Mandok Hata: Batak
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