The meaning of the Lunar New Year celebration ~ Indonesian Tourism

Several years ago, the Indonesian government declared the celebration of Lunar New Year a national holiday. Since then mushroomed Lunar New Year celebrations models offered various circles, particularly world trade.

Even now there are many members of the Indonesian people eagerly celebrate Lunar New Year. Those who do not celebrate the Lunar New Year was not too damaged, at least can enjoy the opportunity to vacation on the holiday.

The emphasis of the celebration of Lunar New Year without regard to the context of Indonesia will cause irrelevansi celebration for most Indonesian people. For example, emphasized the Lunar New Year celebration of spring. Indonesia does not recognize the existence of four seasons. Therefore, trinkets fitting symbol of spring would not be much help appreciation Lunar New Year celebrations.

In the context of Indonesia's plural society, excessive emphasis on Lunar New Year celebrations will be able to leave the problems that could endanger the integrity of the nation.

However, the prohibition or control over the practice of Lunar New Year celebrations in Indonesia would be a step backwards from the realization of the value of reform efforts that have fought together.

Instead of creating unnecessary problems, will be far more useful if the Indonesian people began to look for and find important things and deserve to be celebrated together on every national holiday held, including the spiritual meaning of Lunar New Year.

In turn, mutual interest, the development of Lunar New Year celebrations to be observed together. The question is, what kind of celebration of Lunar New Year to develop the Indonesian people? This becomes relevant to answer.

Lunar spiritual meaning
Lunar New Year celebration which was celebrated by many nations (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and others) for centuries to provide spiritual meaning very rich, could even play a role in uniting them in the same spirit of life.

Considering the Lunar New Year is not a religious celebration, the "spiritual sense" Lunar New Year celebration is not first explored in a particular religious doctrine. Initially, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of farmers. Spiritual meaning of the Lunar New Year have explored the life experiences and world of meaning that developed between the peasantry. In the course of time, Lunar New Year is also celebrated by the people who
not from the peasantry. Therefore, it is not enough spiritual meaning of the Lunar New Year only limited agricultural world.

Some decent spiritual meaning put forward, among others:
First, you as a unifying factor of life. Lunar New Year show farmers encounter experience with the reality of life around him. For farmers, the reality in this world together, encouraged, fostered by love. Because of that, they find and use a variety of goods, plants, or animals in their environment to demonstrate experience of love that started it. They expressed the hope that a higher quality of life by using the objects. For example, fish abundance is seen as a symbol of revival thanks to the love. By placing a picture of fish or eat fish, they are expecting the arrival of that abundance.

Second, the Lunar New Year is a celebration of the happy experience of love and distributable to others. For farmers, a happy love that they received from the generosity of nature. Therefore, they must learn to be generous to others. Happy love is worthy to be enjoyed in common with others, in the spirit of solidarity to others, especially the weak, poor, and destitute.
Lunar New Year celebrations basic color is red, which means happiness and zest for life. As the blood in the veins, experience a vibrant life and joy that must flow and penetrate different parts of the body for a better life. In celebration of Lunar New Year, given to the children, poor people, simple, and Dad, the things that they can be happy: money, food, gifts, or various other forms of assistance. By sharing the happiness, the overwhelming love that is expected to increasingly penetrated many sectors of their lives and ultimately will provide greater happiness.

Third, the experience of love begins in the family. The essence of love lies not in many words but in actions to give themselves to each other's beloved subjects. This ability to love as recognized by the farmers and nonpetani, begins in the family. Lunar New Year celebrations center is located on the willingness of all family members to gather together, leaving the self-interest, and share experiences of love in the family. Peak celebration expressed a willingness to eat together, mutual respect, telling a happy life experience, forgiving, sharing provision, greetings in the form of prayer or hope for a better life, and so on.

Fourth, the Lunar New Year is an inclusive celebration of freedom. The simplicity of the farmers do not mind giving the place a lot of complicated rules that must be obeyed. Lunar basically have no fixed rule. If there was, it was very general rule, does not include penalties for offenders. Thus, the world does not know of a single model of Lunar New Year celebrations. Every individual, family, or any community group, was allowed to celebrate Lunar New Year with all the capabilities, limitations, background, symbols, and meaning systems respectively. This freedom makes the Lunar New Year celebrations inclusive because not eliminate anyone not allowed to celebrate.

Adjusted national conditions
Lunar New Year celebrations too forward side of the glamorous and consumerism, which betrayed the spiritual meaning upheld the Lunar New Year celebration, and will hurt the feelings of many people who still live in poverty. Such celebrations will culminate in exclusiveness, not inclusiveness. Lunar celebration cribbing from other nations without regard to mental and spiritual atmosphere in Indonesia, in turn, can backfire for the development of the Indonesian nation.

Conversely, strict regulation of the practice or the Lunar New Year celebrations emphasis lunar model as a particular nation's cultural heritage are equally betrayed the inclusive value of freedom offered by the Lunar New Year.

Deep understanding of the spiritual richness of meaning contained in the Lunar New Year celebrations are expected to provide inspiration for the Indonesian people to be able to find their own model of Lunar New Year celebrations appropriate values of love and life of Indonesian people lived.
Lunar New Year celebration of the discovery model is more appropriate to the context of the nation is Indonesia with a decent job to start soon.

May the Lunar New Year public holidays can also be a reflective time for discovery and creative crisis resolution measures the Indonesian nation has lasted long. Gong xi xin nian. Wan shi ru yi.

P-Wijayanto Great Teacher Eastern Religion and Culture Studies Program S2 Religious and Cultural Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakararta