Profit from the President's ‘Youngest Son Celebration’

The marriage of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, did not bring happiness only to the family. MSME actors and artists also felt the joy of being involved.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The Siraman procession that Erina Gudono underwent was broadcast at the multi-purpose building of the Padukuhan Purwosari in Sinduadi Village, Mlati, Sleman, DI Yogyakarta, Friday (9/12/2022). The event was a traditional Javanese procession as part of a series of Kaesang Pangarep-Erina Gudono wedding ceremonies.

Dozens of residents gathered at the multipurpose building in Purwosari hamlet, Sinduadi, Yogyakarta, on Friday (9/12/2022) afternoon. They did not come to take part in a community meeting, but to watch Kaesang's wedding to Erina Gudono together.

Inside, there was a large screen showing the live broadcast of the sungkeman and siraman events that Erina was having at her house, which was several hundred meters from the building. This watching of the program together was a form of participation of local residents to enliven the celebration.

Apart from watching live broadcasts, the residents who were present at the building were also treated to culinary offerings from local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Various foods that could be enjoyed free of charge had been served the day before.

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Head of Purwosari hamlet Sutarto said there were 10 culinary MSMEs ordered by the Kaesang-Erina wedding committee to present their products. Each UMKM was asked to prepare at least 100 portions of food that anyone could enjoy for free because the payment was borne by the committee.

One of the culinary MSME actors, Supriyah (48), admitted that she served 100 servings of zuppa soup for the event. Each portion of food was priced at Rp 8,000 ($0.51), which was cheaper than the usual price of Rp 10,000. “This event is a kind of people's party, is it not? That is why I give a special price," she said.

Ali (60), a beef-soup culinary entrepreneur, also offered a special package. A bowl of soto he made was sold at the usual price, namely Rp 10,000, but he gave a piece of tempeh as a bonus in each portion.

If asked to sell like this every day, we are ready.

Ali, who has maintained a soup stall for more than 20 years, admitted that he was very enthusiastic about being involved in enlivening the Kaesang-Erina wedding series. What is more, he also knows Erina's mother, Sofiatun Gudono, who often buys beef soup at his stall.

Husband and wife Aryanto (44) and Dila (40), who sell meatballs, were also happy. On Friday at 6:00 p.m., the 205 servings of meatballs were sold out. In fact, both of them just served the meatballs for about an hour.

The large number of meatballs that had run out was a blessing for Aryanto and Dila. On normal days, they sell 80-100 servings of meatballs, even though they trade from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. "If asked to sell like this every day, we are ready," said Dila.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

The rickshaw driver crosses the area of flower sellers who are busy taking orders for the Kaesang-Erina wedding party on Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Surakarta City, Central Java, Friday (9/12/2022). The wedding party of President Joko Widodo's son had a broad impact on the economy of the surrounding residents from various kinds of craft to service business lines.

Series of events

On Friday, Kaesang and Erina undertook a series of events leading up to the wedding. Erina experienced the sungkeman and siraman in Sleman, while Kaesang undertook the event in Surakarta, Central Java.

Kaesang’s sungkeman and siraman were attended by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his family. During the event, the President fed and held Kaesang for the last time before getting married.

The President prayed that his youngest child would be able to build a happy and loving family. "We, as parents, hope and pray that the family of Mas Kaesang and Mbak (Ms.) Erina will be a sakinah, mawaddah, warahmah family in the future," said the President.

In addition, President Jokowi also apologized if the implementation of his son's wedding series disturbed the public. "If anyone is disturbed -- their comfort is disturbed -- we, with the whole family, apologize profusely, especially to the people of Yogyakarta and the people of Surakarta," said the President.

After the siraman and sungkeman, the event continued with midodareni at Erina's house on Friday evening. On Saturday (10/12), Kaesang and Erina planned a marriage contract at the Royal Ambarrukmo Hall, Sleman, then to continue with ngunduh mantu in Surakarta on Sunday (11/12).

We, as parents, hope and pray that the family of Mas Kaesang and Mbak (Ms.) Erina will be a sakinah, mawaddah, warahmah family in the future.

In Surakarta, a series of events were held in two locations, namely Loji Gandrung and Pura Mangkunegaran. The events also involved a number of local artists.

The art director of Asmoro Decoration, Panji Vasco Da Gama, admitted that he was asked to prepare decorations at Loji Gandrung. Panji said they had been preparing the decorative design for 1.5 months. The process of making the decorations involved 12 carvers, eight construction workers and eight florists.

Previously, Panji decorated for the wedding ceremony of President Jokowi's two children, namely Gibran Rakabuming and Kahiyang Ayu. “Bapak [Mr.] Jokowi really likes to use local artists. So, regional artists are really given a place,” he said.

The series of events in Surakarta also involved a number of artists from the Indonesian Art Institute (ISI) Surakarta. They also played gamelan at Loji Gandrung and Pura Mangkunegaran.

Guntur Sulistiyono, the coordinator of Karawitan Pranata Education Laboratory in Surakarta, said that there were 20 musicians involved in Loji Gandrung. Meanwhile, at Pura Mangkunegaran, there were 21 musicians and 3 pesinden (singers).

“We are very grateful. In the past, during Mbak Kahiyang's wedding, we were also involved. It is not just about getting sustenance. It is a pleasure to be able to participate," said Guntur.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.