Singkawang The Front Porch of China

Cap Go Meh, celebrated fifteen days after the Chinese lunar new year, was marked with much festivities in Singkawang, West Kalimantan. The city of a thousand temples, populated by a Chinese majority, have been observing the Cap Go Meh from generation to generation for 200 years.
The Chinatown atmosphere was palpable upon entering the city, where the streets were lined with thousands of lanterns.
On the night of February 7, a lantern procession which marked the upcoming Cap Go Meh celebration was attended by thousands of Tionghoa--or Chinese Indonesians--from cities in Indonesia as well as foreign visitors. The city was alive with bazaars, stages, and Cap Go Meh foodstalls that opened 24 hour.
In the morning of February 8, the Tatung/Lauya, who the Chinese believe as their shamans, begin their prayer. The tatung worshipped before the temple, to ask for the gods' permission to hold the Cap Go Meh the next day.
In the morning of February 9, after completing their rituals, the Tatung and their followers gathered at Kridasana Stadium to begin the procession around the city of Singkawang. Around 9 AM, the streets were filled with Tatungs and their followers demonstrating their prowess. The procession went on until noon and afterward there was an auction of the chair or litter on which the Tatung was carried--objects believed to be bringers of good luck for businesses that own them. The litter often displayed the head of their ancestor and can be sold for tens, even hundreds of millions.
A tradition which offers an annual tourist attraction on the front porch of China. (Jakarta Globe/ Afriadi Hikmal)