INDEPENDENCE DAY

August 17, 1945 was the best day for Indonesian people. Soekarno Hatta, the first president and vice president of Indonesia, proclaimed the independence of Indonesia. From that day, Indonesia celebrates its independence on 17th of August annually. In my opinion, as a young generation, the Independence Day is a big day for Indonesia. It is such a blessing that I am an Indonesian. It has been 72 years since Indonesia was freed from colonialism. Of course, every year Indonesian people do many activities on 17th of August. Indonesia is comprised of many regions, and every region holds different activities to celebrate it.

There are some activities that we do each year to celebrate the Independence Day. The most important activity is that we raise the Indonesian flag. It is common to see that the flag is raised in front of every house. This means to show respect to our heroes. Raising the flag is not only in every house but also in different institutions. Every school must hold a flag raising ceremony. For example, Harapan Bangsa School always holds the ceremony every year to celebrate the Independence Day. During the ceremony, Indonesian national anthem “Indonesia Raya,” written by Wage Rudolf Supratman, is sung. In addition to this, we also have parades. Marching bands from different institutions or organizations usually join the parades.

On every August 17, Indonesian people hold different competitions around the country. One of them is climbing palm trees, called panjat pinang. This competition involves a lot of people climbing to the top of an oily palm tree, and many prizes, such as television or bicycle are hung at the top of the tree. This competition is the most popular game during the Independence Day. We also have an eating-kerupuk competition. This competition usually involves children because it is simpler. In this game, the kerupuk is hung on a string, and children must finish it up while holding their hands behind their back. The next famous competition is tug of war. To do this game, two teams consisting of strong participants are involved. Playing tug of war is not so easy. The two teams try to pull each team to a designated middle point. The team members need to work together to beat the other team. There are actually many more competitions that we can participate in. Those three are the most popular competitions among all.

By Riesca Salsa Billa (Grade 9 Level B)