INDEPENDENCE DAY – HARI MERDEKA

If you are in Indonesia on the 17th of August, you can’t miss the celebration of Hari Merdeka, or the Indonesian Independence Day. But why is this day so important for Indonesian people?

HISTORY
To understand the importance of this day in Indonesia and why it’s considered as the National day, it is important to do a brief history lesson. In the past, Indonesia was colonized by the Netherlands. The Indonesian independence was proclaimed on August 17th, 1945 at 10:00 AM (local time). However, only in December 1949 the independence of this nation was officially recognized. Later, in 2005, the Netherlands recognized that the veritable independence was in 1945. Today – in 2017 – we will celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the Independence of Indonesia. The first president and vice-president after the independence were respectively Soekarno and Hatta, whom we can see on the IDR 100,000 banknotes.

Now you know the history, we can talk about the celebration!

CELEBRATION
Red and White country
On the 17th of August, we can see all the countries in red and white. A lot of money is spent on decorations. When you go out on this day and previous days, you could be certain to see many Indonesian flags in the street, in front of houses, restaurants, bars, companies, etc. And if you don’t have your own flag, don’t be worried, you could buy one from many sellers, who rush themselves to sell it.

Parade
As each year, the president talks to the assembly to remind the importance of this day and what it represents for the country. Of course, everybody will witness the raising of the national flag at the president’s palace while a talented vocalist sings the national anthem of Indonesia called “Indonesia Raya”. If you don’t have the opportunity to be at the presidential palace, you can watch it on TV, as a commemoration program.
There are many parades all around the country but mainly in big cities such as Jakarta.

Games
Games are plentiful on its special day. Indonesian people play them in the street all day.
Panjat Pinang
It is probably the most famous and old Indonesian game tradition. It’s also organized in weddings. Few days before Independence Day, they cut many tree trunks, sand and lubricate them. After that, they put some prize at the top. The goal is to climb the pole and to reach & grab the present. It’s very difficult, so they often do it together by teamwork. Paradoxically, this game was born when Dutch colonized the country, they found it funny to see the local people do it.
Lomba makan kerupuk
Krupuk – which is shrimp chips that are very famous in the country – are attached with twine in the air. And only with their mouths and without hands, children tried to catch the “krupuk”. The rule is very easy: the first children who finish the chips win.
Sack races
This game is famous all around the world and we can see it in many countries, while in Indonesia, the race is only specially held on 17th of August.

Food
At home, women try to make the biggest krupuk and the best nasi tumpeng. They share the food with family, neighbors, and people nearby. There is also a cooking competition where the winner of this cooking competition will receive a token for their skills in the kitchen.