SEC-S17W3 : "National Festival"
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edited with CanvaHello my Steemian Friends..
A national festival is a special festival held by a country to commemorate a specific event. Usually, national festivals are held annually, but it may be more than that. It depends on the conditions set by the country.
In Indonesia, there is a national festival that is held once a year. This festival is a celebration of Indonesia's independence day. It is one of the biggest national festivals in my country, so let's get started...
There is a festival held in the country of Indonesia in August. It is a festival commemorating the independence of the country of Indonesia. Since it is a national festival, all regions usually hold this festival.
This festival often involves the participation of every school in the country. With a parade around using traditional clothing from each region of Indonesia. Of course, there will be many kinds of unique clothes, considering that Indonesia is an archipelago and is rich in culture and customs. Therefore, each region has traditional clothes that are different from other regions. And in this festival, we will see many traditional clothes on display by the carnival participants.
Indonesia was once colonized by other nations for 350 years. That's a long time for colonization. So great was the struggle that Indonesians made at that time for independence. All sacrifices and efforts have been made by them so that on August 17, 1945, Indonesia managed to gain its independence.
So to honor the struggle of the Indonesian people, during the month of August a carnival is held in each region. I don't know exactly when this festival started, but I think it has been around since the 1970s.
The festival is held without a specific date. However, it is usually held after August 17. And each region is free to determine any date, as long as it is still in August.
There are no special rules in this festival. Just line up neatly based on each school or agency, then walk around the city wearing traditional clothes or independence attributes, such as flags and others. The point is to celebrate the anniversary of Indonesia's independence and honor the struggle of the people at that time.
As this is a festival of Indonesian independence, the clothing used is traditional clothing from various regions. Indonesia is an archipelago with many regions. Therefore, there will also be many unique outfits used in this festival that symbolize the richness of Indonesian customs.
But when it comes to food, I don't think there is any specific in this festival. Just a carnival around the city in unique independence-themed clothes.
I remember when I was in elementary school. This was my favorite festival. I always participated as one of the participants of the independence carnival from my school. Even though it was very tiring for a child to walk around the city during the day, but I really liked it.
An old photo when I (the one in red) participated in the independence carnival in 2006I always volunteered to my teacher to participate. I asked my parents to rent the traditional clothes that I would wear in the carnival that time. I was so excited to join the festival. There was even a time when I wasn't feeling well, but I still signed up as a participant.
Even now, when the festival is held again, I still go to the festivities. Although not as a participant, but as a spectator. Being in the crowd and watching the festival boosted my enthusiasm. When I attended the festival, I was able to feel nostalgic about my childhood happiness in spite of having fun.
Note: Some photos above are from the school's WhatsApp archive
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