Before we know the reason why the release of these lanterns can be canceled at the Dieng Culture Festival, here is a little information about the Dieng Culture Festival. Dieng Culture Festival is a cultural festival with the concept of synergy between elements of community culture, Dieng’s natural tourism potential, and empowerment of local communities to maximize their potential.
An event formed by a tourism awareness group involving various elements of society and tourism-related organizations/agencies in Dieng. Well at the festival there are several series of events, namely dreadlocks, Healthy Walk and Purwaceng Drinks, Traditional art performances, Dieng Film Festival nomination screenings, Shadow Puppet Show, Lantern & Fireworks Party, Jazz Above the Clouds.
The main thing that is interesting at the Dieng Cultural Festival is the sacred ceremony of cutting dreadlocks or often called the ruwatan event. The event is a Purification Procession which is closely related to traditional culture in Java.
Ruwatan Anak Dreadlocks has more or less the same purpose, namely a ceremony or ritual that aims to ward off bad luck or bad luck for both Dreadlocks children and the Dieng community in general. Boys with dreadlocks are a very unique phenomenon since ancient times in the Dieng area and usually these boys are between 40 days old to 6 years old.
But what Dieng visitors are waiting for is the moment of releasing the lanterns. This is the moment the visitors have been waiting for. because thousands of lanterns were flown into the sky, making the sky look very beautiful even though it had to struggle with the cold dieng night temperature. However, since the festival was held for the first time in 2013, the agenda for releasing lanterns cannot be separated from the pros and cons.
The first pro (support) side from the chairman of the event committee said that from the tourism side, the agenda for releasing lanterns fulfilled the concepts of something to see, something to do, and something to buy. second, visitors can find out a little about the culture in the Dieng area, then visitors can see some beautiful natural scenery in the Dieng area. Then, maybe visitors can take a vacation to other Dieng tours such as going to Dieng Color Lake, Arjuna Temple, Sikidang Crater, etc.
For your information, Sikidang Crater is one of the iconic tourist attractions in the Dieng area, although the crater is a crater originating from the crater of Mount Merapi, the crater is not dangerous for visitors who visit it. from that place, visitors can see from a safe distance a greenish crater and emit white smoke. when entering the crater area we will be greeted with a wooden bridge that will access us to see and surround the crater area.
Even so, there are many cons of the event or festival compared to the pros, because the first release of lanterns can easily cause a fire risk so that if this really happens it will be difficult or will make people panic in lower area because of that this incident above and can also cause damage both in terms of natural damage such as damage to the naturally beautiful popohanan will be damaged because of the lanterns attached to the trees then in terms of pollution in the forest / land / environmental settlements, examples of environmental pollution in terms of air.
In a lantern, there must be chemicals contained in the lanterns and the resulting fire can also pollute the air that was previously fresh to breathe. although the organizers have provided several standby officers stationed at the location where the lanterns will land or fall.
Then the risk of waste pollution, both caused by lantern raw materials and waste from all activities during the event. why can it be said that it can pollute the surrounding environment with garbage from visitors or lanterns because the majority of Indonesian people have not been able to be sensitive to environmental waste or what will become waste that is not disposed of in the trash.
But of all things that will or have happened it depends on the visitors or the community who can be responsible or not or from the standby committee. Although an event is not the main event of the Dieng Culture Festival, it is very beautiful to see with loved ones. just a suggestion we as visitors must be wise and responsible for what we will or have done. we as visitors must also accept all the policies that have been decided by the person in charge of the event.
By : Wildanita Risna Anggi Aisyifa
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