Flying the Flag

For about 3 weeks in August the streets, houses and buildings of Bali (and, I suppose,  other Indonesian cities too) are decorated with the red and white of the Indonesian flag.  As well as the flags, some several square metres in size, there are banners, rosettes, streamers, bunting and all sorts of red and white decorations.

National decorations outside a local temple

Campus foyer decorated for Independence Day

Banners at the Campus gate for:

(1) Orientation Week welcome;

(2) Independence Day;

(3) Idul Fitri

Notice board of the nearby church

decorated for Independence Day

The decorations are in honour of the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17th August, 1945 (hence the “67” in many of the banners – 67 years since that event).  Although the Dutch did not cease fighting to suppress the independence movement and accept Indonesian independence until 1949, the date in 1945 when the “Proklamasi” was first read in public was chosen as the date to be commemorated.

In the weeks leading up to the celebrations the decorations go up and groups of students begin their marching practice and can often be seen marching along roads, sometimes kilometres from the nearest town.  Neighbourhoods and towns try to outdo each other to produce the most decoration or to fly the largest flags.



Student groups marching on country roads



Friday August 17th marked the effective shut down of the teaching program here at Universitas Dhyana Pura because of the unusual close conjunction of 3 national holidays based on 3 calendars of different cycles. 

Independence Day is always celebrated on August 17th according to the western calendar. The Muslim holy period of Ramadan is set according to the Islamic ecclesiastical calendar (lunar based; this is year 1433 of that cycle) and like the Christian celebration of Easter it floats back and forth about a mean date. This year Idul Fitri (the feasts marking the end of Ramadan) are celebrated with holidays (in Bali) on 19th-21st August (and for longer in mainly Muslim Java). Then along comes the special Balinese Hindu celebration of Galungan, celebrated according to a Balinese calendar with a 210 day cycle. This brings much activity and holidays on August 28-30th. As many staff and students will go home to other islands and villages for the festivities, the teaching program stops for 2 weeks. So the schedule was: Long Vacation, Orientation Week, then 2 weeks holidays before classes start.

Campus banners for Independence Day and Idul Fitri



I have been here in Bali 3 times at about this time and have experienced Independence Day and Idul Fitri on each occasion, but this will be my first “Galungun”, so more about it after the event.

The Flag Raising Ceremony is celebrated on campus on Independence Day, and all staff, high school students and new tertiary students are expected to attend.  For the new students this day marks the end of their orientation week, but senior students are excused because they have not yet returned to campus (their lectures start when activities resume on September 3rd).  The flag party had been practicing their movements during the day for the last 3 weeks, and during the week a choir from a nearby primary school was on campus rehearsing the national anthem and another national song.

Primary school students practice the anthems during the week

Some light overnight rain dampened the oval but not our spirits and although students began arriving soon after 6 am, staff were able to arrive at the oval at about 7:45, long after the hundreds of students had assembled.



Some of the assembled students



Staff members gather and take their places

The Rektor with a student helper

A student dressed in a national cadet uniform led the parade and ordered the colour party to march in the flag.  The Indonesian march is quite different to ours.  In the British traditional march there is more up and down knee movement and the sound accompanying the march is made by the sound of the boot stamping straight down onto the ground.  The Indonesian style is a little more stiff legged and the sound comes from the foot slapping the ground. 

The flag is attached to the lanyard, is spread out to its flying shape and carefully hoisted as the assembled parade sings the national anthem “Indonesia Raya”.  The flag raising has to be carefully done so that the flag reaches to top of the pole just as the anthem ends.  (And it did just that).

As part of the commemoration, the University Rektor, Dr Made Nyandra, wearing the traditional formal “peci” or “kopiah” cap, led the assembly in reciting the Pancasila, the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian state. 

The Rektor casts his eye over the assembly

The 5 tenets of the Pancasila are:

• Belief in the one and only God (Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa).
• A just and civilized humanity (Kemanusiaan Yang Adil dan Beradab).
• The unity of Indonesia (Persatuan Indonesia).
• Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations amongst representatives (Kerakyatan Yang Dipimpin oleh Hikmat Kebijaksanaan, Dalam Permusyawaratan dan Perwakilan) 
• Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia (Keadilan Sosial bagi seluruh Rakyat Indonesia)

(Source:   Wiki Encyclopedia - Pancasila)

In addition to the activities already mentioned there were also other songs, prayers, a short homily, saluting of the flag and other acts of respect and commemoration.

After the ceremony staff retired for a snack (snacks accompany every activity here) and the new students started their activities.