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Chinese communities all over the world welcome the Lunar New Year for a period of 15 days each year. During this time, members of the community hold family reunions, visit houses of friends and relatives, and give thanks at temples.

Singkawang in West Kalimantan — sometimes referred to as “the city of a thousand temples — is one place that welcomes the Lunar New Year with much revelry. The city of some 150,000 inhabitants is especially famous for its Cap Go Meh (lantern) parade, which traditionally takes place on the final day of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. During this time, the Chinese believe that spirits descend to the earth, spread good luck and grant humans their wishes. The celebration has gained popularity over the years, attracting a growing number of tourists to the second largest city in the region.

Eight noted Indonesian photographers traveled to Singkawang last year to witness the Chinese New Year festivities and the Cap Go Meh parade. Their mission? Photograph the celebrations.

The colorful results are now on display at Salihara Gallery in South Jakarta, in a joint exhibition by Oscar Matuloh, Jay Subiakto, Yori Antar, Sjaiful Boen, Enrico Soekarno, Jhon Suryaatmadja, Sigi Wimala and Asfarinal. The exhibition is called “Singkawang: Jade of the Equator.”

“The trading town of Singkawang is inhabited by three different ethnic groups who live together in harmony and peace,” according to a joint statement released by the photographers. “We can see Dayak side by side with the Melayu people, the Melayu next to Tionghoa [ethnic Chinese], and the Chinese interacting with the Dayak.”

This kind of unity in diversity, the photographers said, is what Indonesia as a country should stand for. The challenge for them was to capture this togetherness during their Singkawang project.

“We ourselves all have different backgrounds,” they said, adding that this allowed them to shoot pictures from different angles and incorporate their own personal views on the subject matter.

The ethnic Chinese of Singkawang are proud and open about their cultural heritage. This was true — although a bit more hidden — during the New Order regime, which banned open displays of Chinese culture. That ban was only lifted in 2002.

The exhibition at Salihara captures the lively and rich celebrations of Chinese New Year. Some photos show people eating in small food stalls or on busy Singkawang streets adorned with red lanterns — the traditional decoration for the Chinese New Year.

The most striking photos, however, are those focusing on the Cap Go Meh parade. Spirit mediums march down the main road or are carried palanquins as they perform acts of self-mortification. A handful of men and women are in a trance, walking on sharp blades, seemingly oblivious to the pain. Others pierce their cheeks and bodies with metal blades or arrows.

One photograph by Oscar Matuloh captures the essence of what the artists had intended with the exhibition — several strings with red lanterns are seen drifting in the wind, with the yellow and green dome of a nearby mosque in the background. This picture perfectly captures the peaceful co-existence and mutual tolerance achieved by the residents of Singkawang.

“The portrait of a tradition will always endure if the people understand the roots of that tradition,” according to the photographers. “Especially if the roots of these traditions mirror the country and its people themselves.”

Those who want to view this impressive and powerful exhibition should hurry. It only runs until Sunday before moving on to where it actually belongs — the town of Singkawang, where the photos will be shown from Feb. 13 to 27.

Singkawang: Jade of the Equator
Salihara Gallery
Until Jan. 31
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Jl. Salihara No. 16
Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta
Tel: 021 789 1202

Stadion Kridasana
Feb. 13 to 27
Jl. Kridasana
Singkawang
West Kalimantan