Most festivals China comes from trust worship the gods to appease them and prevent misfortune.
Chinese New Year celebrations in Indonesia, known locally as the Lunar New Year, combining customs, beliefs and practices brought to Indonesia by Chinese immigrants who still follow the practices inherited from their parents.
Previously, Chinese New Year is not a national holiday on the calendar Indonesia for years, but starting in 2002, Chinese New Year became a national holiday, for the pleasure of millions of Chinese Indonesian.
The ancestors remembered with great respect because they are responsible for laying the foundation for the family fortune.
In the ethnic Chinese community there are immigrants from various regions throughout China. Each immigrant communities bring a unique tradition of their hometown to Indonesia. This explains the origin of diversity in the way the Chinese New Year celebrations across the Indonesian archipelago.
An important part of the preparation for the celebration is a thorough cleaning of the family home. This is important not only as a preparation for the many guests to expect during the holidays, but also as a symbol of evil sprits sweep that might be lurking in dark corners or behind a heavy piece of furniture that rarely moves.
All work must be completed before the dawn of the New Year's Day. If not completed, the family believes they will have bad luck in the year of work and boring. Sweeps can not be done on New Year's Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away.
On New Year's Eve family members gather to share traditional foods. Family members came from all cities in Indonesia to welcome the New Year together and usually at the home of the oldest family member.
According to custom, the male head of the family of the lead in making offerings to various gods and ancestral family home.
Homage to the god of wealth, and the gods of the well, a bed, a fireplace and the other gods in order to remain on good terms. The offerings are usually a variety of foods, pastries and fruits are placed in the offering table, placed outside the home. While holding incense in both hands, each member of the family will 'pai-pai' (prostration) three times to show respect for the gods of the house. Then incense holder placed on the table of offerings and family members bowed again to show respect and ask permission to enter the house.
Table of offerings to the ancestors is also set in the house, the family member who has died. Photos of the dead man hanged on the table. In the family home kayaterdapat special room that is used as the ancestral hall complete with an altar and a table for every generation. Small offerings are placed throughout the year to honor family members who have died. On New Year's Day, offering table will be decorated as beautiful as possible and filled with food, flowers and a special dish that is usually enjoyed by the deceased during his lifetime.
Lion Dance / Barong Sai
Lion may be seen in public on New Year's Day in other Asian countries, but in Indonesia they are usually called upon to come into private homes.
Lion Dance is like a huge dragon puppet measuring between 4-6 meters manned by three or four dancers. The dancers who controls the Lion's head should be well versed in Kung Fu as many steps in the dance resembles the movement of Kung Fu. The perpetrator must have great strength and durability when using large dragon as it weighs up to several hundred pounds.
Lion troops, consisting of at least 10 people, will arrive at a house using a truck. The accompanying orchestra can be heard long before the arrival. Family happy visited by Lion because they feel it will bring good luck to them. At the end of the dance audience puts in the mouth angpau Lion in recognition of its performance.
