Celebrated by Indonesians across all religions and cultures, Hari Kemerdekaan (17 August 1945) commemorates the day that Achmed Soekarno, first President of the Republic of Indonesia, proclaimed Indonesian independence from 350 years of Dutch colonial rule.
Across Indonesia there are flag-raising ceremonies in every suburb. We went and stood to attention, hummed along to the national anthem, saluted and whatever else the person in front of us did. We assembled in rows according to immediate neighbourhood--the one with the most residents present won a cash prize!
Oops, left his black and whites in Papua! In Indonesia, if in doubt, a batik shirt is always a safe bet.
One of my favourite neighbours.
The security guys from our block--always up for a laugh.
We realised on arrival that ours were the ONLY children there, and that the ceremony was going to be pretty boring! Thank goodness for some fresh dirt and a couple of toys which kept them quiet the whole time. There was absolutely no escape route; if they'd decided to protest, we would have had to parade them past the choir, assembled guests, dignitaries and some very solemn members of the Indonesian army!
Soren was tired from the early start, so we caught a becak home.
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Far out! How do you know what's going to be appropriate - children attending? clothes to wear? You must feel exhausted anticipating what will be the right thing to do at each occasion.
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