Close up of Bromo, Batok, and Semeru; Acara 17 Augustus; Upacara Kasada

‘Twas a good month to start the Saat series because the Julian calendar month of August 2011 happened to include Ramadan, Indonesia’s Independence Day, and the Kasada festival at G. Bromo—possibly the three most important annual events to occur in East Java.  Independence Day follows the Julian calendar and is, therefore, celebrated every August 17, but Ramadan follows the Islamic calendar and Kasada follows the Javanese calendar.  As it can be seen, then, the combination of these three events into a single thirty day stretch is quite serendipitous.  For it to occur in just my second month at permanent site also makes for a great introduction to Indonesian culture.  Also of note during this month are concessions to jam karat and debates about cheating in Indonesia.

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