Chinese New Year's Rituals - A Photo Essay

Back in 2009, I posted a story about Chinese New Year's Festivities in Bandung. Since then, I have not posted any other similar stories. Last week, I received a series of wonderful black and white photographs of the Chinese New Year rituals from a young and talented photographer whom I met last year in a couple of photography workshops in which I was asked to mentor.

Ali Mecca, the name of the photographer, is a film and photography student at a Pasundan University in Bandung.













This is the text that he wrote to accompany the above pictures after I edited it:

Under the "New Order" regime (1966 - 1998), the Indonesian ethnic Chinese endured a discriminatory treatment. Their cultural identity was subsumed under the mainstream national identity. They were encouraged to use Indonesian names in lieu of their Chinese names, given a different ID card that differentiated them from the indigenous Indonesian, and were not allowed to perform and show their cultural heritage in public.

The advent of Reform Era (Era Reformasi) changed all that. Under the presidency of Abdurrahman Wahid (October 1999 - July 2001) the government reinstated the Indonesian ethic Chinese civic and cultural rights and made the Chinese New Year a national holiday. Since then, the Chinese New Year has once again become a festivity that is celebrated throughout the country, not only among the Chinese, but also by many other Indonesians.

Bust Mannequin

Three bust (head only) mannequins wearing hijab used by a street vendor selling Muslim woman's head cover at Alun-Alun Bandung.

Located in front of Bandung Grand Mosque (Mesjid Agung Provinsi Jawa Barat di Bandung), Alun-alun Bandung is a busy market place where one can find almost anything from foods and drinks to clothes and accessories to toys and games.

A Cell Phone Cult

A cult is a pejorative term that is usually ascribed to a group of people who are believed to have a strange set of beliefs or practices. This derogatory sense of the word emerged only in the late 20th century and is considered subjectively judgmental. The term was invented - sort of - by an anti-authoritarian movement who considered exploitative authoritarianism as a potentially dangerous thing. The term "cult" is usually applied to a minority group in a society.

With this definition in mind, can a group of people who believe or do strange things with (or because of) their cell phones be considered a cult? And if so, are we not a member of it? (Just a naughty thought and question here ... ^_^)

Theme Day Post: Waiting

Waiting is probably one of the most boring things to do. To "offset" their boredom, people do different things to get themselves occupied. Some read books, magazines, or newspapers. Some play games, listen to their MP3 players, or do things with their cell phones. But there are also people who feel comfortable doing nothing while waiting.

Here's my photographic interpretation of this month's CDPB theme day: waiting. I took this photo at Gado Bangkong, a small suburban railway station in the west of Bandung.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of this month's CDPB Theme Day.

Becak

A becak on Jalan Kebon Jati, south of Bandung railway station.

Becak is officially banned from many parts of the city. But in this part of the city, it is still operating.

If you are into black and white or monochrome photography, you may want to check out similar posts from other participating photo bloggers at this weekly meme The Monochrome Weekly.

City of People # 19: Tukang Kue Bandros (Bandros Cake Vendor)

Kue bandros (bandros cake) is a traditional Indonesian cake. It's made of grated coconut, coconut milk, rice flour and a little bit of salt. The cake is usually sold by a street vendor like this, and is usually eaten for breakfast or at tea time in the afternoon.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation for the Monochrome Monday meme. To see othes black and white or monochrome photos of the other participants' please follow the link.

City of People in Monochrome Monday: Street Ventriloquist

This ventriloquist is performing at Braga Street, Bandung.

A ventriloquist, by the way, is a person who is skilled at speaking without moving his/her lips. Ventriloquism - the ability to perform ventriloquizing - which is now considered mainly as a stagecraft was originally performed by the Greek as a spriritual ritual whereby a prophet would speak to and interpret the voice of the dead who was believed to reside in his stomach. That is why ventriloquism is also called gastromancy or "belly speaker".

This photo is for my participation in Monochrome Monday meme. To see other black and white and monochrome photos of this meme's participants, please click the link.

La Musique Petite

I'm a bit behind with my posts and blogging. It's been a very hectic week at work that I barely had the time to even check my emails, let alone attended to my blog.

I will try to catch up with the posts I have missed in the next few hours. But first, I'd like to thank those of you who have visited my blog and kindly left comments on my posts. I'll return your visit as soon as I can.

Today's photo is not exactly new. I took it about a year ago. The girl in the photo is a member of a marching band group competing in a school marching band festival and competition. If I remember it correctly, this competition is a regular event held annually to encourage schools and school children in Bandung to play music and, in particular, marching band.

I had to run around like a photo journalist to follow the dynamic march of the bands and get close to the players to get this photo. I'm glad I did though. I managed to get some nice angles and captured some expressive moments there that are worth the efforts I made. I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I did taking it.

CDPB Theme Day and Monochrome Maniacs: Sepeda Onthel

This month's City Daily Photo Blog (CDBP) theme is "circles or spheres," and this is my interpretation of it.

"Sepeda onthel" or old bicycles have their own aficionados and they are on the increase. There are quite a number of old bicycle clubs in Bandung. They often have convoys, tours, or exhibition rides around the city and the countrysides. The owners of these old bicycles love them very much and are very proud of them.

I took this picture at Jalan Braga (street) in one of the exhibition rides they had recently.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation for this month's CDPB theme. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

This post is also Bandung Daily Photo's participation in the weekly meme "Monochrome Maniacs".

Street Photography # 6: Topeng Monyet - A Close Encounter with A Distant Brother

"Topeng monyet" (literally: monkey mask) is an Indonesian traditional folk street performance whose sole actor/actress is a monkey. The monkey - who has been tamed and especially trained by a "pawang" (animal master) - performs different kinds of tricks immitating human actions, such as dressing up, riding a bicycle, going shopping, etc.

A "topeng monyet" group typically consists of one or two monkeys, an animal master and trainer, and a couple of musicians.

Black and White Landscape Photography: Crater Trees

These crater trees grow around Kawah Ratu (The Queen Crater) of Mount Tangkuban Parahu about 45 kilometers north of Bandung.

Tangkuban Parahu, which literally means Capsized Boat, is a popular tourist destination in West Java. I'll tell you about the legend behind the name tomorrow as I post another photo of this beautiful crater. If you are a frequent visitor to this blog, you may remember that I have previously posted a distant view picture of this mountain here.

I took this photo with my pocket, 3.2 megapixel camera.

This photo is my participation for the Monocrhome Maniacs meme. Click the link to see other particpants' great black and white photographs.