Renting Out a Building to Celebrate Imlek

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents of Chinese descent pray Chinese New Year at the Hok Lay Liong Temple in Margahayu, Bekasi City, West Java, Sunday (22/1/2023). Chinese New Year prayers are performed to get blessings and good luck in the new year.

After the public activity restrictions (PPKM) policy was fully lifted at the end of 2022, many families that celebrate Imlek (Lunar New Year) held reunions.

“I cooked eight dishes, like babi hong (spiced pork sauteed with mustard greens and bean sauce), bakso gulung (minced beef in egg rolls), fried chicken and sea cucumbers,” Ratna Susanti, who lives in Bekasi, West Java, said last week.

None of the food was bought. Ratna herself “orchestrated” all cooking preparations for the sake of providing a special Imlek meal. In the kitchen, Ratna was like a “general” directing several domestic servants. She even bought no less than 60 kilograms of pork.

Many families celebrate Imlek with a feast. Besides serving food to express gratefulness for the achievements last year, the dishes also symbolize prosperity in the new year.

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Ratna’s extended family had also waited for Imlek for the past two years before they were finally able to gather again this year. Previously, Imlek was only celebrated in the nuclear family to protect the family’s senior members.

Back then, the joy of Imlek was shared only over long distances by calling each other using Zoom. However, with the pandemic being brought under control, this year they held a reunion.

At her mother’s house, located not far from Ratna’s house, approximately 80 family members gathered, arriving from 8 a.m. until the afternoon on Imlek.

“My in-laws has even rented a building for our family reunion a week after Imlek, just like a wedding party,” Ratna said, laughing.

In urban areas, renting buildings to hold family reunions is common for celebrating a holiday, such as Imlek. Such gatherings are often held at restaurants for practical reasons, such as the availability of parking lots. This is even more the case for big families that have many affluent members.

Doubtful

Nevertheless, during Imlek 2574 (according to the lunar calendar), many families are still not celebrating Imlek as they used to do before the pandemic. They remained hesitant about holding a reunion. Others had lost the principal members of their families.

Lyna Tan in Serpong, South Tangerang, Banten, for instance, only observed Imlek in the nuclear family. Her father died last year, so this year’s Imlek was not as joyous. When her father was still with them, the family held big gatherings that not only included family members and relatives, but also neighbors and acquaintances.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Chinese families carry out the foot washing tradition to welcome Chinese New Year at the Rasa Dharma Building, Chinatown, Semarang City, Central Java, Saturday (21/1/2023). The tradition of foot washing is still carried out by some Chinese citizens as a sign of devotion for their parents to welcome Chinese New Year.

Regardless of the number, Imlek means family reunions for some people. Family members who do not live in the same house are gather on the day of Imlek. There is no outdoor communal activity on the holiday, and the open-air Cap Go Meh event takes place two weeks after Imlek.

“Cap Go Meh is indeed an exciting and unique occasion. On Imlek, we just gather with family members or neighbors,” said Deny Ramanda. For Imlek, Deny returned from Jakarta to his hometown in Toboali, Bangka Island, the Bangka Belitung Islands.

Deny spent several days on Bangka Island to soak up the different atmosphere there. “Returning home on the day of Imlek is certainly intended to meet up with family and friends. But what’s different here is that Imlek is also shared with the neighbors. In general, there is just halal food during Imlek here, as we eat together with neighbors,” he said.

Praying for ancestors

For some people, the events for Imlek do not end on the day, either. After Imlek, prayers will follow on the fifth day. “We go to the graves of our parents,” said Ratna Susanti.

Meanwhile, Ratna Lukman, a Serpong resident, just goes to the cemetery on the seventh day to pray. On that day, red clothes should be worn. “Usually, I prepare an odd number of foods, like five kinds of dishes, five cake varieties, and also five types of bananas, as bananas are mandatory,” Ratna Lukman said. She continued this tradition by also involving her children.

“Prayers are performed in memory of [our] dead ancestors and parents,” added Lyna Tan, who stressed that we wouldn’t exist in the world without our forebears. During the prayers, the ancestors’ favorite foods are served.

New year fortune

During Imlek, many people are also curious about how their luck will be in the new year. Andrew Wongso is one youth who has learned how to read bazi. Bazi is a type of Chinese astrology based on analyzing a person’s birthdate to read their character, life’s journey and personality.

“Bazi is not prophecy, it’s about reading codes,” said Andrew. A few years ago, he joined a bazi community and has now even started to teach bazi.

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On the eve of Imlek, several friends contacted Andrew and asked him to read their fortune in the Year of the Water Rabbit. “Some friends asked questions, others had once learned [bazi] along with me, so we could practice together,” added Andrew, who lives in Grogol, West Jakarta.

Fengshui expert Kang Hong Kian has released a book about humankind’s destiny for Imlek 2574, the Year of the Water Rabbit. “A forecast is not only for hearing or telling, but also to serve as a guide. It’s about how to deal with the conditions to be faced,” said Kang.

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.