Cap Go Meh in Singkawang, Indonesia

Cap Go Meh in Singkawang, Indonesia

If you do a Google search on the internet, you can easily find information on Singkawang and its Cap Go Meh celebrations, a festival that is fast becoming world famous. Cap Go Meh in Hokkien or Teochew dialect means the night of the fifteenth, a reference to the fifteenth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
 
It is said that where there are Chinese, there will be Cap Go Meh celebrated, either on a grand or modest scale. Singkawang's celebrations is very special for on that day, most if not all temples which have spirit-mediums (known as tatung in Kalimantan) will be invited to join the parade in town. Temple groups would accompany their mediums who would either be standing or sitting on sedan chairs fitted with sharp blades. These groups would visit other temples and take part in the parade downtown. Cap Go Meh is indeed carnival time in Singkawang for you will find throngs of people moving in all directions and yet somehow a route would be cleared whenever contingents need to pass through. Directed by their respective tatung, each group would move in a different direction. Often accompanying them are the lion and dragon dance troupes.
 
Preparations begin well before Cap Go Meh. On the eve of the big day, temple helpers will affix blades to sedan chairs while the mediums in trance would make courtesy visits to the temples in town. Singkawang is reputed to be a town of a thousand temples. Indeed, be they big or small places of worship - and there are many - on Cap Go Meh, these temples especially those in town would be a hive of activity. Thick joss smoke would permeate and the place would be teeming with devotees and onlookers. It is common to find children no older than 10 beating the drums and gongs with aplomb. Common too is the sight of infants being carried in the arms of their mothers or caregivers, watching this wondrous display of piety. One can also find elderly ladies snaking their way through the palanquins to offer their respect and planting joss sticks on the urns. The beatings of the drums and gongs would resonate through the whole town, turning it into a riot of rhythms and colours. Pennants and flags of all shapes and hues would flutter gaily in the breeze as they glide through the streets. Often, children would be at the fore of the temple teams, proudly wading their way through the streets, and self-appointed crowd controllers would emerge, blowing whistles to direct the multitude and alerting them to the marching contingents.
 
If there is a place akin to a melting pot, Singkawang must be it. While one might have the impression that the festivity is a Chinese one because of its association with Cap Go Meh, the temple groups with their mediums actually represent deities from both the Chinese and Dayak pantheons. What they have in common is the design of the sedan chair, decorated with shiny blades. Often, each sedan chair would be installed with four blades with their sharp ends facing up, and the medium could, if he chooses, balance himself on these sharp objects. Sometimes these medium are ladies, and no exceptions are made here either. Another four blades would be placed where the seat is, on which the medium would sit. Both armrests too would be fitted with blades. And there would be one placed vertically so that its sharp edge would come into contact with the medium's back when he or she sits. Often, these mediums would demonstrate their prowess by sitting on the pointed end of the blade or they would rest their abdomen on the pointed end and then get someone to rotate his or her body.
 
The accessories used by the Chinese and Dayak mediums differ somewhat. The Dayak mediums tend to deck themselves with plants and animal sacrifices whereas the Chinese ones don't. Nonetheless, both would have their faces pierced with multiple rods. Some mediums would, when in trance, even pierce their own cheeks.
 
On this particular Cap Go Meh 2008 that was held in February, the celebration, hosted by the Mayor of Singkawang, was graced by the Governor of West Kalimantan.. The event was described by the Mayor as a cultural highlight of Singkawang. It is not difficult to appreciate this fact for the locals are generally friendly, gracious and charming. They would make way for you to take pictures of their mediums and are themselves game to be shot by your camera, disarming you with smiles that are spontaneous and sincere.
 
Cap Go Meh is a must-see event for all cultural enthusiasts. Because there are limited hotel rooms in that city, bookings have to be made early to avoid disappointment. So, bookmark your tour for the next Cap Go Meh in Singkawang, the city of a thousand temples.

Text and Photos by Victor Yue. All Rights Reserved.