Heart to God Hand to Man

This is the picture of the territorial headquarters of The Salvation Army Indonesia on Jalan Jawa 20, Bandung. The building it occupies was designed by Brinkmen & Voorhave and was built in 1920. It is listed as one of Bandung's Architectural heritage.

You might wonder why there is no Christmas decoration on the premises. Well, I took the photo early in November, so the Christmas decoration was not put up yet. With or without decorations and festivities, I think what's more important about Christmas is the spirit. And I think the Salvation Army's slogan "Heart to God Hand to Man" captures it well.

I'm not a Christian or Catholic, but I believe whatever our faith is, the measure of our piety is how useful we are to other human beings. With this, I would like to wish those of you who celebrate it, Selamat Natal! (Marry Christmas!)

Holiday Seasons in Bandung: Midnight Sale at Paris Van Java

Christmas is in the air and new year is just around the corner. It's that time of the year again when shoppers around the world are pampered with sales and discounts. In Bandung that salvo was shot last week with - among others - the midnight sale program held over the weekend at Paris Van Java.



Santa was not there by the way. He was probably too busy with all the invitations he is receiving from many parts of the world. So the good bees were here in his stead.



And these snowmen did not seem to mind taking care of all the gifts that the bees had brought in.

Happy Eid Mubarak - Selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1430 H

Today is Eid ul Fitr. I went to the field near where we live to perform Eid prayer. (Unlike the daily prayers that can be performed at home or in the mosque, the Eid prayer and sermon are preferably performed in a field.)



At home we ate ketupat kari. Ketupat is steamed rice cake wrapped in young coconut leaves (see left picture below). We cut it open, slice it, and usually eat it with kari ayam (chicken curry) and sambal goreng ati (liver in dried chily souce).





It is also the traditon here that people decorate their homes with fragrant flowers like bunga sedap malam (polianthes tuberosa) - the white flowers on long stems in the picture - to welcome their guests. I forgot to buy it until late this morning, so when I got to the nearby florist, we didn't have much choice.

Lebaran (Eid ul Fitr) Travel

Tomorrow (Sept 20, 2009) moslems in Indonesia as are those throughout the world are going to celebrate Eid ul Fitr or Lebaran as it is popularly called here.

Lebaran is the largest and most festive holiday here, probably comparable to Christmas in many other parts of the world. (Christmas is also a big holiday here but not as big as Eid ul Fitr.)

One of the most important traditions of the Lebaran is that people would visit their parents, families, and relatives to ask for their forgiveness and improve ties. For those who live in the cities, this means traveling back to their hometowns and villages. Done by a huge number of people at about the same time, the travel imposes a huge logistical burden on the country's public transportation system which, I must admit, is not in a very good shape. Train tickets would normally be sold out a month ahead of the holiday, so are bus, airline, and ship tickets.

Those who have cars would travel with them. Others would just try about anything to get to their destinations, including riding motorbikes and other means of transportation like trucks and bajaj (a three-weeler motorbike taxi).

Happy Holidays!

It's Christmas Eve!

I'd like to wish my Christian friends, readers, and visitors A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS ... May the light of Christmas bring you all joy and happiness, and the world piece and prosperity.

This week and the next are very special time for everybody here. Christmas is tomorrow, and on Monday (Dec 29), Moslems all over the world will also celebrate the Islamic Hijra (Hegira) New Year. So, here too, I'd like to wish my Moslem brothers and sisters A VERY HAPPY HIJRA NEW YEAR! May the spirit of Hijra (migration) inspire in all of us a continuous effort to make the world a better place for everybody.

Then, only a couple of day later, of course, the world will also celebrate the international New Year: 2009 of C.E. calendar. So, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you. May next year be a year of healing and of putting the world's economy back in track to prosperity.

Now about the picture today: Why the snowmen?

Of course, we don't have real snowmen. We don't even have winter, let alone snow and snowmen. But the snowmen are here. They are made of styrofoam and are here as one of the icons of Christmas. Other Christmas icons we normally find here (as I'm sure anywhere else in the world) are the Santa Claus (here called "Sinterklas"), his deer and sledge and Christmas trees, garland, and wreath.

I took this photo of these styrofoam snowmen in front of the store room of Ciwalk Shopping Arcade, on Jalan Cihampelas, Bandung. I guess they were meant to be part of the mall's decoration for the holiday season, but somehow they had not been (or would not be) installed this year. (The Santa Claus and his deer and the Chrismast trees and garlands were already put in place.)