CAP Go Meh Festival in Singkawang, West Kalimantan Province, is an annual Indonesian festival held 15 days after the Chinese Lunar New Year. This festival marks the last day of the 15-day long fun-and-happy family gathering following the Imlek –the very typical Indonesian term for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Cap Go Meh ends all festivities and any kind of family gathering held during the 15 days after Imlek celebration is performed.
But in Singkawang that is located some 130 kilometers from the provincial capital of Pontianak, Cap Go Meh Festival has always become a nationwide spot that gains much attention from both domestic travelers and tourist enthusiasts as well as foreign nationals.
It is only in Singkawang that Cap Go Meh has always been performed with thousand participants from both local native residents and some dozens from neighboring cities and even from some foreign nations –among others- are the Sabah-based Malaysians and the Thais from Bangkok.
Live Report: “Cap Go Meh” Festival in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, 2 March 2018 (1)
It is on 2 March 2018, that some 1.038 parade group joined this festive carnival where thousand onlookers occupied both main roads in Singkawang and its high grounds including the 2nd floor of any house and its verandahs.
AsiaNews and Sesawi.Net happily watched this exotic festival of Singkawang’s Cap Go Meh.
- Sr. Maria Seba SIFC from Pontianak contributed this reporting live from Singkawang.
- Photo credits: Mathias Hariyadi.
