Jakarta, IO – Chinese Indonesians participated in the Toapekong Cultural Parade in Tangerang City, Banten, Saturday (21/9). This ritual, which has been celebrated on for hundreds of years, features a procession of the statue of Goddess Kwan Im Hud Couw along several streets in Tangerang City.
The tradition began with the revitalization of the Boen Tek Bio Temple in Pasar Lama, Tangerang City, in 1844. This process forced the management body to move the Kimsin, or statues of the gods and goddesses, to the nearest temple Boen San Bio on Jalan KS Tubun. The relocation was carried out using a stretcher by the local Chinese community, considering that at that time there was no adequate means of transportation.
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The Benteng Chinese community then commemorated the event by holding Toapekong Gotong every dragon year or every 12 years, precisely in the ninth month, which is around September or October. This ritual was first performed in 1856. (IO/Faisal Ramadan)