Yogyakartans Celebrate Peh Cun For Better Future

Yogyakarta - Chinese Indonesians in Yogyakarta are celebrating the two-day Peh Cun festival to pray for safety from continuous disasters.

The festival, which coincides with the third anniversary of a major earthquake in the province, began Wednesday with a dragon boat competition in Imogiri, Bantul, followed by a traditional Kweecahang parade from Abubakr Ali field in Yogyakarta to Peh Cun ritual stage in Parangtritis beach, Bantul in the afternoon.

Ci Suak/Pau Un rituals - a ceremony held to protect a household from evil spirits - will be led by one leader each from the are Buddhist, Taoist and Confucianist communities, followed by an all-night-long puppet show.

"We pray so all people will be protected from various disasters, and to invite people to be alert as we live in a disaster-prone area," Fathoni, chief of the Peh Cun festival organizing committee, said.

The festival, which falls on the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, is held to commemorate the memory of Qu Yuan of Chu state, whose idea`s shaped China, before he was exiled at the behest of hostile royal family members. He took his own life, plunging into the Miluo River.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com (28 May 2009)
Photo: http://mycityblogging.com

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