Indonesia Independence Day Holiday

Indonesia’s Independence Day always falls on 17 August. This commemoration has been held since 1945, when Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta made the proclamation of Independence, as Japan was defeated by the United States in the same year. This was a significant moment in the country, as it brought about the end of colonialism in Indonesia.

To celebrate this historic day, a flag ceremony is held at the State Palace annually. This event is overseen by the Indonesian President, who acts as the event inspector. This very same ceremony is also held at schools across the country, not just at the state palace. It is also done at different government agencies and various offices across the archipelago.

Besides, 17 August also sees some competitions in most neighborhoods. Such games include cracker eating, tree climbing, and sack racing. The race aims to promote the spirit of hard work and mutual cooperation. As a result, relations within the community improve.

Since 1945, 17 August has always been a special day for all Indonesians. It was a historic day, where Indonesia won its independence after being colonized by foreign nations for a long time.

The commemoration of independence in 1945 was marked by reading the text of the Proclamation by Soekarno and accompanied by Mohammad Hatta. This moment was so historic because it marked the end of colonialism in Indonesia.

To commemorate this historic day, every year a flag ceremony is always held at the State Palace. The event is chaired by the President of Indonesia who acts as the inspector of the ceremony. Not only at the State Palace, the 17 August ceremony was also held at various schools, government agencies, and several offices throughout the archipelago.

In addition, on August 17, Indonesians usually hold various competitions in their neighborhood. Some of the competitions that are often held are cracker eating, panjat pinang, and sack racing. The competition aims to teach the spirit of hard work and mutual cooperation. Thus, a close relationship between communities can be established.

In 2023, Indonesia's Independence Day holiday on August 17 will fall on a Thursday. To make this year's Independence Day holiday even more special, you can take a day off on Monday-Wednesday and Friday. That way, your vacation time is longer and you can get together longer with family and friends.

The text of the proclamation was lost

When declaring the proclamation of Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, Soekarno read a manuscript. After the original script was written by Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, Sayuti Melik retyped it. Unfortunately, the original text of this proclamation was not kept by the government. There was a journalist from Aceh who kept it, namely BM Diah.

Uniquely, the journalist found the original proclamation manuscript in the trash bin where the proclamation script was compiled, namely at the house of Admiral Maeda. In 1992, BM Diah submitted the original manuscript to the Indonesian government.

Interesting story of the Red and White flag

The proclamation of Indonesian independence in 1945 was also enlivened by a flag ceremony. Fatmawati, Soekarno's wife, was the figure who sewed the red and white flag to be raised at the ceremony. Unfortunately, the flag that was sewn was too small to be raised to the pole during the proclamation of independence.

Finally, Fatmawati took the initiative to use the white sheets in her wardrobe. Then, he asked a young man named Lukas Kastaryo to look for a red cloth. The young man reportedly bought a red cloth from a soup seller.

August 17th celebration in Indonesia

Indonesia's Independence Day is always greeted with great fanfare every year. In fact, several regions in Indonesia have their own traditions to celebrate it. Apart from Batam with the Sampan Layar Competition, Semarang also has a tradition of relay torch run. In this tradition, Semarang residents are busy running while carrying torches. Of course, the torch was chosen as a symbol because it has a philosophy of the spirit of a hero when fighting for Indonesian independence.

In addition, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia's Independence Day is greeted with a ceremony in the style of a palace warrior in which residents wear clothes resembling palace soldiers during the ceremony. After that, the event was continued with a parade around the village. There are many other regions in Indonesia that have a unique tradition of welcoming Independence Day, such as Palembang with Telok Abang, Sukabumi through art performances, and Aceh in the Pacu Kude event.

Independence ceremony in Sebatik and a MURI record

Sebatik is an island in Indonesia which is directly adjacent to Malaysia. On 17 August 2017, a flag ceremony was held in Sebatik to commemorate Indonesia's 72nd independence day by the Pusaka Flag Raising Force (Paskibraka). They raised the red and white flag on the 79 poles in the border area.

Attended by thousands of members, the independence ceremony in Sebatik broke the MURI record. This special event will be the first ceremony to be held on the border of Indonesia and Malaysia. Apart from Paskibraka, TNI and Polri also helped in the success of the MURI record in Sebatik.

Independence Holiday This Year

For those who plan to spend the Independence Day holiday by going to a destination, there's nothing wrong with preparing in advance. That way, you can collect your budget from now on and do travel research more freely.

You can start looking for hotels with the best prices on Traveloka, as well as various transportation tickets such as flight, train, bus and travel, to car rental. Also find entertainment tickets at Traveloka Xperience.

Talking about the destination, you can take a vacation to various interesting places in the country. From Bandung, Semarang, Solo, Yogyakarta, Bali, to Labuan Bajo. After determining the destination, immediately book the ticket via Traveloka. With Traveloka, you can plan everything easily and practically.

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