Independence Day (Indonesia)
Next: August 17, 2027
Crackers on strings, prizes up the pole.
The story
Where it comes from
On the morning of 17 August 1945, a Friday in the fasting month of Ramadan, Sukarno, with Mohammad Hatta at his side, read out the proclamation of Indonesia's independence on the front porch of his house at Jalan Pegangsaan Timur 56 in Jakarta. The short text had been drafted through the night. Then a red-and-white flag, sewn by hand by Sukarno's wife Fatmawati, was raised while those present sang 'Indonesia Raya'. The whole ceremony was simple and took about an hour. Indonesians call the anniversary simply 17 Agustus.
How it's celebrated
Flags go up on homes and streets, and schools, offices and villages hold flag-raising ceremonies. Then the neighbourhood games begin, a custom that took off in the 1950s: sack races, tug of war, makan kerupuk, where players race to eat a cracker dangling on a string with their hands tied behind their backs, and panjat pinang, where teams scramble up a greased pole to reach the prizes hung at the top. Children and grown-ups alike join in.
Did you know
- Fatmawati sewed the flag in October 1944, two weeks before her first son was born, by hand, because doctors had told her not to use the treadle sewing machine.
- The cracker race recalls years when food was scarce, and the cheap kerupuk, which everyone could afford, is also a symbol of equality.
- Panjat pinang was adapted from a pole-climbing game at colonial-era Dutch festivities, and is now played as a lesson in gotong royong, working together.
The greeting
Dirgahayu Republik Indonesia · Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan
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