Muharram procession welcomes the New Year

Saturday (26/11) evening, at Kampoeng Ilmu Jl Semarang, Surabaya, held a commemoration and celebration of Suro and new year 1945 (Javanese calendar) titled 'Gereget Suro 2011'.

Cooperation Results Kampoeng Ilmu - Paham Jiwa Pribadi and Fosti (Forum for Chinese Studies Indonesia), BKOK, Society of Arek Suroboyo, Gus Durian, C Mars (Center for Marginalized Communities Studies), SRMI (Poor States Indonesia), LMND, Buddhist Education Centre Surabaya and much more.

The event begins when the group entered the procession from the Monument of Heroes Kampoeng Sciences area. Front row, the leader of the procession, handed to the committee Songsong Agung Payung to Chief of Paham Jiwa Pribadi.

Carnival quite lively, with a police escort they were walking towards the road from Heroes Monument to Semarang street. They were carrying fruit, old bicycles, horses and even a lion dance. The majority of carnival participants were mothers, small children through adolescence.

"After the handover Songsong Payung Agung, then we do the arrangement of the offerings, as well as a series of ceremonial offerings, one named 'Ujub Sesaji', describes the meaning of the offerings are laid out before," said Sukiyar, as Chief of Paham Jiwa Pribadi.

Both the initiator Sukiyar and other events, hoping that the ancestral culture of Java can be passed on the next generation.

"One of the goals, in addition to commemorating a Suro, let the young kids who now know, understand and can pass them, while the elders are dying," added Sukiyar.