Heaptalk, Jakarta — Commemorating the 266th Yogyakarta anniversary, the local Government and Department of Tourism held a traditional human puppet show that combines choreography, contemporary music, fashion show, and lighting effect in the form of Wayang Jogja Night Carnival (WJNC) as the peak of Yogyakarta celebration day (10/07).
This festival was ultimately held offline by employing art on the street concept. WJNC’s opening ceremony began with the performance of Hudson, Indonesia’s famous singer, who has two faces – a man on the left side and a woman on the right side. The main show was enlivened by the performance of wayang (human puppet) by numerous kemantren (sub-district) across Yogyakarta. Each kemantren showcased a diverse wayang story, which supported the adopted theme, namely Lokananta Arjuna Anugraha.
Lokananta means a traditional gamelan orchestra from Suralaya, the palace of Gods. In the local folklore, Lokananta was sounded twice, namely at the wedding of Baladewa and Erawati, and at the wedding of Arjuna and Sembadra. In addition, the theme intentionally opted to deliver society’s gratitude after passing the covid-19 pandemic, and to support gamelan to be an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
“The peak of this event is our gratitude for any development we have achieved that can be felt by society today. This event also aims to build our future to be more sulih, pulih, luwih,” stated Yogyakarta’s Mayor, Sumadi in his opening remark (10/07).
Sumadi also added, “Sulih, luwih, and pulih have in-depth meaning, moreover, during this condition when people strive to revive after the pandemic”. Sulih means an intention to move and adapt, pulih is people’s strong determination to rise, and luwih means a desire to obtain a better future.
The spirit of these three words was reflected in the society’s enthusiasm who flocked to come to the event to enjoy the art performance. Although the City had heavy rain before the event was embarked, the weather did not dampen people’s enthusiasm to witness the attractive wayang performance. Thousands of residents were seen crowding the 1.2 km long venue, spanning Sudirman Street, Tugu Yogyakarta, Margo Utomo, and Gowongan street.
