On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the Chinese community celebrate Chinese New Year. In conjunction with this, the celebration festival will be held in Denpasar on February 1 and 2, 2025.
Preparations for the event already underway, with lanterns adorning Jalan Gajah Mada in Denpasar. By Monday night, January 13, 2025, the lanterns were lit, creating a beautiful atmosphere on the street.
Denpasar Celebration for Tolerance
In addition to lanterns, gates have been installed at both ends of the road in preparation for the festival. This event is organized by the Indonesian Chinese Association in Bali (INTI) in collaboration with the Local Government of Denpasar.
This marks the second time INTI Bali has held a major Chinese New Year celebration. The goal is to strengthen the values of togetherness and tolerance among religious communities and residents in Bali.
Hery Sudiarto, Chairman of the Chinese New Year Festival Committee, stated, “Even though the Chinese New Year celebration falls on January 29, 2025, INTI Bali decided to hold a festival on the weekend, February 1 and 2, so that the wider community can join the celebration.”
The festival will last for two days, featuring various entertainment from 16:00 to 20:00 WITA each day.
Strengthens Unity Through Chinese New Year Festival
“We will continue to decorate Jalan Gajah Mada with Chinese New Year lanterns and hold a cultural and culinary parade at Puputan I Gusti Made Agung Square,” said Hery as quoted from TribunBali.
Putu Agung Prianta, Chairman of INTI Bali, revealed that this festival is expected to be a place to knit diversity. “We invite all ethnic communities of the archipelago to celebrate this togetherness. This festival aims to strengthen Denpasar as a city of tolerance full of diversity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sudiartana Indrajaya, Supervisor of INTI Bali, added that Bali, as the center of world tourism, has a very unique and rich culture, which is an extraordinary tourist attraction.
“Denpasar, as a city of culture and tolerance, must continue to strengthen the values of togetherness, and through this Chinese New Year celebration, we hope to strengthen unity with all Chinese organizations and other communities in Bali,” said Sudiartana.
Celebration of Diversity and Togetherness
The series of events for this festival include a parade along Jalan Gajah Mada, a culinary parade at Puputan Square, and traditional Chinese New Year entertainment performances.
This celebration is expected to bring joy to both the Balinese people and tourists, as they come together to celebrate diversity and togetherness.
Cokorda Gede Partha Sudarsana, Head of the Protocol and Communication Section of the Denpasar City Government Leadership, expressed his full support for the 2025 Chinese New Year celebration.
He emphasized that this event demonstrates the Denpasar City Government’s commitment to supporting all religious holidays.
“We hope that this activity will serve as a momentum to strengthen tolerance and harmony among the diverse religious communities in the city of Denpasar,” stated Partha Sudarsana.
Cultural Fusion and Historical Significance
Chinese New Year, or Imlek, is an important celebration in Chinese tradition, marked by various unique customs. In Bali, this celebration is quite familiar.
Balinese people even refer to it as “Chinese Galungan” in the local language to make it more relatable. According to CNBC Indonesia, Professor A. A. Bagus Wirawan from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences at Udayana University explained that the term “Chinese Galungan” is used by the Balinese to refer to Chinese New Year, coinciding with the rainy season and sasih kaulu (the eighth month in the Balinese calendar).
This term reflects the long-standing cultural fusion between Chinese and Balinese traditions, especially through trade routes that have connected the two cultures for centuries.
The ongoing relationship between these cultures is evident in daily life, such as the use of Chinese ceramics as wall decorations and the influence of Chinese ornaments in Balinese art.
Additionally, the use of holed coins or Pis Bolong in Balinese Hindu rituals shows the enduring influence of Chinese culture in Bali.
Sources: Tribunbali, Balipost, CNBC Indonesia
Images: via BaliKonten
