It is a strange feeling to see all those reds emerged with the whole other colors, other race, other religions, in the place where incents are burned, and one particular ethnicity is praying.
Pink, blue, orange, black hijabs and kaftans are around Sam Poo Kong temple in Semarang. Chinese classic songs were sang in a rock style out loud while other people were praying intensely for a good year ahead. Trashes, ashes are all over the places.
I have a mixed feeling about this. As always. I felt great seeing other religions from other races were coming to a place where they were not originally belong to celebrate what they originally not celebrating. Some of them were wearing red colors too even a barongsai head on top of their hijab. Nevertheless, my heart felt a bit sad when seeing those people who were praying intensely while everybody else was taking selfies or sat seeing them praying like I did. I was walking around and took some pictures of them praying. What more sad about it, the statue of gods were sat by children and plastic bottles were put or even thrown carelessly around the statues like they were only statues.
Still, I am impressed. Those litters, those people were not hiding the beauty of the temple and the sacred place. I was noted that people still had some respect to not sitting in the prayer area, and not chatty while they were praying. I could see that this is good enough for us Indonesian. Scenery like this was not seen often in other place. It still left me a good thought that tolerance still here where different races and religions were being united as one.
In the end of the day, I thought I made a good decision to come to Semarang on Chinese New Year.
Happy Chinese New Year 2018 every one...
May many good things are coming to this year.
CVB
