LUNAR NEW YEAR

By Rasid Rachman

Although I was born with yellow skin and slant eyes, but the political situation of Indonesia have cut me out my Chinese root. We don’t speak Mandarin, neither have Chinese name. I feel Indonesians, and I don’t celebrate Chinese New Year. Only in our parent family in our childhood, during New Year, we regarded happy New Year to each other. Therefore there was no special rite, custom, or everything that showed that this is our New Year. Shortly, we don’t feel as Chinese in culture.
On the other way, we say that we don’t know how to celebrate Chinese New Year. Yes, we cook special food on Chinese New Year such as bandeng (milkfish), as well as we do on other festivals, such as on Idul Fitri or Christmas, only for our family. But we don’t do other things that related to celebration, custom, or rite. Not only Indonesian-Chinese don’t know how do celebrate, but many Indonesians don’t know what the Chinese New Year is as well. Many Indonesians couldn’t distinguish Chinese New Year (the Imlek) and Moslem Idul Fitri (the Lebaran). They made similarly Chinese New Year and Chinese Idul Fitri (or Lebaran Cina). They also called similarly basket taffy (kue keranjang) and dodol (kinds of taffy made of sticky rice, coconut milk, and palm sugar). Chinese New Year was the strange thing in the past of Indonesia.
Time has changed. Few years ago, when our past Presidents proclaimed the Chinese New Year as a national festival and holiday, everybody in this country openly celebrate Chinese New Year. Everybody, both Chinese descendent or not, have been freely celebrating Chinese New Year since 2001. Radio and television broadcast the festival and custom with red color, costumes, songs, films, accessories, and arts. Everything becomes Chinese cultural during Lunar New Year. But I don’t. Why?
Chinese New Year is a cultural festival. That is not religion or national celebration. According to the political situation and condition that I had had received in the past, Chinese New Year is a strange festival for me now. Somebody sometimes greets me: “Happy Chinese New Year,” and I usually say: “To you too,” while shaking hand or answering short message sender (the SMS) and email. It means, he/she reminds me that he/she celebrates Chinese New Year and I give him/her all good wishes. ®