Last two weeks ago, I went to the Bandung Caang Festival 2014 (Bandung Bright Festival and Light Carnival 2014). I found the festival accidentally. After taking picture from Braga, I decided to walk to the BIP (Bandung Indah Plaza). In front of the Bale Kota Bandung (City Hall), I heard some musics and many people entered City Hall's area. The security said that there was a food festival inside. Actually, I was not really hungry, but the musics tempted me. It sounded like a Sundanese music that made me imagine that I was sitting in the rice field. I walked, looked for the source of music.

After passing the gate, I found that many people just sitting, chatting together, or even taking some pictures. I also saw some groups of teenager who practicing traditional and modern dance. At first, I thought that they  were rehearsing for their performance in this festival, but I was wrong. They may just practicing dance regularly. In the park, I found the one-horn-rhinoceros (badak bercula satu) statue. And surprise, wall of love. Yep, you can write your name and your spouse to the padlock then locked it in the wall. But I don't see the throw-key-place. Where did people throw the key? I didn't see any river nearby. Did they keep the key? So, in the future when they break up, they can unlock their name and their ex. I don't know. But please keep in mind that no matter how much you love your partner, don't do kissing in this place. Because, first, it is a government office, second, it is considered impolite kissing in the public place, even in the wall of love. This city hall also have ferrish wheel, but I don't know it is just temporary there or not.  

a. Practicing dancing.  b. One-horn-rhinocheros statue.  c. The wall of love.

d. Wall of Bandung Juara.  e. The ferrish wheel.

After walking inside, I found the wall of Bandung Juara (Bandung is a Champion). Every visitor can write anything in that white wall. I saw that some of them wrote their social media account (twitter) in that wall. People enthusiastically writing, even they used chair to help them wrote in the high side of the wall. I didn't leave any single writing because my legs moved closer to the stage. 

I sat in front of the stage. I just tried to make myself comfortable and hoped that there was no ant in this place because all of the audiences sitting in the grass area. I watched a masked dance performance.  I don't know how to say but I found that the dance was very funny. They looked beautiful and funny at the same time. The dancers energetically entertain the audiences. I love their performance. 

 a. The masked dance. b. Singer H. Nucky Darso. c. Sudong H. Taufikurrahman. d. The mc.

The second performance was Sudong or in Bahasa Indonesia mean Sulap Dongeng (magic and tale). The magician, H. Taufikurahman, mostly spoke in Sundanese language, but don't worry, it was understandable. Yeah, I missed one or two tiny detail, but is was okay. As a magician, he also did magic like pouring water in the glass but suddenly the water fade away, magic with ribbon, and cut one audience neck in the box. It's  not frightening at all because he put many joke in his performance. This sudong was really funny. The frightening part was when his pupil tried to play with a scorpion and made hole in his nose. I didn't dare to open my eyes while his pupil on the spotlight. 

Then this is the funniest one. A foreigner from the USA sang Sundanese song and played kecapi (Sundanese plicked stringed instrument). All of the audience were laughing when he said that he live in Cicaheum. He said that in Bahasa Indonesia. Then in the end, it's the stage for H. Nucky Darso. That's the first time I heard his name but I think he is one of the great singer in Sundanese. He performed like Michael Jackson. He was eccentric and funny. Although I didn't understand the song, I laughed a lot when he was singing. 

All of the performances on that stage was tittled "Napak Jagat Pasundan" or in English (Journey to the Sundanese World). This group is going to perform in 22 cities in West Java. They are great. I enjoy all the performance. But If I have to criticize one thing, it would not be Napak Jagat Pasundan, but the two mc from the Bandung 204 anniversary "Bandung Caang Festival". To be honest, I didn't like their clothes. They were like they wanted to go to the beach instead of mc-ing formal performance. It may be better if they put on some traditional clothes because all of the performers (even the sales promotion girls of the product sponsor) were wearing traditional clothes.

Around 4 PM, after the working hour, the city major, Ridwan Kamil and his staff came to the VIP chairs watching the performance. He sat besides the chief of Indonesia-Hamamatsu Friendship Organization. The chief also had chance to give a speech after the Napak Jagad Pasundan performance. In the speech, he said that he was very happy because he saw many Japan motorcycle in Indonesia. Although he didn't have relation to the motorcycle company, he was really proud because the factories located in Hamamatsu and because he is a Japanese. In the end he said,"Thank you very much Indonesian for choosing Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha for your motorbike". 

The Major of Bandung, Ridwan Kamil and Chief of Indonesia Hamamatsu Friendship Organization

After the performance ended, I went to the food booths. I bought bakso tahu Bubu ( Bubu tofu meatball). It was delicious, but because of too many visitors there, I did not get place to sit. Not only food, it also had local business booth. I didn't do anything, just waiting for the street light carnival at 7 PM. I searched for the time schedule, but I didn't find any. Person that I asked just replied, "I don't know, you should check to the internet." Oh, okay. 

 a. People in the food festival. b. Baso Tahu Bubu. 

c. and d. People in the street waiting for the light carnival

Carnival was held in the street eastern of the city hall. The route was from Jalan Diponegoro (in front of Gedung Sate and Gazibu), Jalan Merdeka, and ended in City Hall. The carnival was opened by the fire cracker. The first contingent were people who walking, they are traditional dancers, Mojang Jajaka Bandung (Bandung beauty pageants), walking dead youth community, harajuku community, etc. The second was old bicycle community, big motorbike, and motorcycle community. In the end, there were car light contingents. A car represented a subdistrict, government department office, etc. In this carnival, pocong and Jembatan Pasopati (Pasopati Bridge) are the stars. Many people acted as pocong character. Pocong is a traditional moslem ghost who wearing single white cloth and moving by jumping. Pocong is also very famous in Indonesian Horror movies. Many car had Pasopati Bridge as an ornament on them. 

Pocong jumping and pocong on the motorbike.

                               Street car carnival in Bandung city light carnival 2014

Yeah, over all, I enjoy all of the celebration of Bandung 204 anniversary. The Bandung carnival was quite different from other city carnival. In Ngawi and Madiun, the participant of the carnival are students. They participate in the carnival as a representative of their school. Ngawi carnival is to celebrate Indonesia independent day while Madiun carnival is for anniversary celebration. You can watch Ngawi carnival in August 15, 18, or 19 every year. Bandung carnival is also different from Jogjakarta carnival. As a part of Festival Kesenian Jogjakarta (FKY or Jogjakarta Culture Festival), Jogjakarta carnival's  participants are culture communities. In Bandung, the participants are youth and hobbies community. It may not related to culture at all. In Bandung, they also have participants from government office. That is very unique.

If you want to know more about many carnival and festival in Indonesia, like the sentence above, you should check to the internet. You should go to the government office or Ministry of Tourism website.: D

Kiki