Tong Tong Fair

Tong Tong Fair adalah sebuah festival tahunan paling besar ke-4 di negeri Belanda, festival ini juga merupakan festival tertua di Belanda karena sudah mulai diselenggarakan sejak tahun 1959.

Ketika pertama kali mendengar Tong Tong Fair,  pasti akan terbesit rasa penasaran pada benak kita, sebenarnya apa maksud dari kata “Tong Tong ” tersebut ? . “Tong Tong” berasal dari nama suatu organisasi pada zaman dahulu, yaitu Indische Kunst Kring Tong Tong. Nah, Tong Tong Fair tersebut ialah bentuk sarana penggalangan dana untuk organisasi Indische Kunst Kring Tong Tong.

 Tujuan dari Tong Tong organisasi adalah untuk mendorong Budaya Hindia Eurasia dalam  memperluas pemahaman sejarahnya. Budaya Hindia Eurasia adalah budaya sudah ada selama berabad-abad, yang dimulai ketika pedagang Eropa berlayar ke kepulauan Indonesia dan mendirikan pos perdagangan mereka.

Seiring perkembangan zaman, lama kelamaan Tong Tong Fair tersebut menjadi sebuah tradisi sebagai acara tahunan yang menyajikan festival budaya, pameran, dan pasar barang kerajinan dan makanan .Beberapa tahun kemudian, pada tahun 1976 nama Pasar Malam Tong Tong berubah menjadi Pasar Malam Besar, dan pada tahun 2009 memiliki nama baru, Tong Tong Fair.

Sebenarnya dimana letak festival Tong Tong Fair ini?

Tong Tong Fair dan Tong Tong Festival diadakan di Malieveld di pusat kota Den Haag (Koningskade 1, 2596 AA Den Haag). Cara menempuhnya ialah lima menit jalan kaki dari Stasiun Sentral Den Haag, atau 30 menit dari Bandara Schiphol dengan menggunakan kereta api atau mobil.

Karena merupakan festival ke-4 terbesar di Belanda, serta banyaknya stand dan seni yang dipertunjukkan, maka lahan yang dipergunakan untuk festival ini cukup besar yaitu seluas 22.000 m².

Di  dalamnya terdapat banyak stand yang menyajikan berbagai macam makanan dan minuman khas Indonesia, yang tentunya sangat lezat. selain itu terdapat juga teater kuliner, media dan seni pertunjukan, area bengkel, area untuk kuliah dan wawancara, daerah pasar, serta daerah untuk perdagangan. 

Acara ini berlangsung selama 12 hari dengan ratusan pertunjukan, dengan dimeriahkan juga oleh beberapa artis. Artis-artis yang mengisi acara di Tong Tong Fair tidak hanya berasal dari Indonesia saja, tapi ada juga artis, seperti musisi dan penari dari Amerika, Eropa. Untuk Indonesia sendiri sudah konsisten diundang oleh Tong Tong Fair semenjak tahun 1970.

Tidak hanya artis, Tong Tong Fair juga dimeriahkan dengan sajian musik keroncong, dan bela diri khas negara Indonesia, Pencak Silat.

Dari tahun ke tahun, Tong Tong Fair selalu menarik perhatian masyarakat, termasuk negara di sekitar Belanda. Warga setempat termasuk pendatang dari Indonesia begitu antusias menyambut acara. Tercatat sejak tahun 1945 sampai pertengahan 60-an, sekitar 300 ribu orang bermigrasi dari Indonesia ke Belanda. Acara Tong Tong Fair, bisa mengobati kerinduan mereka tentang Indonesia
Tak hanya menggelar, memperkenalkan seni, budaya dan kuliner dari negara-negara Asia Tenggara, Tong Tong Fair juga membantu pembangunan kembali Keraton Solo yang rusak karena kebakaran tahun 1985, juga membantu korban tsunami di Indonesia tahun 2006 dari keuntungan festival tersebut.

Pada tahun 2013 ini Tong Tong Fair akan diadakan pada tanggal tanggal 22 Mei – 2 Juni 2013, mulai pukul 12.00-22.00 waktu setempat.

Referensi:

http://m.tabloidnova.com/Nova/News/Peristiwa/Pasar-Malam-Tong-Tong-Digelar-Mei-Mendatang

http://sekti.blog.ugm.ac.id/2012/05/27/nonton-pasar-tongtong/

http://pursuingmydreams.com/2012/06/07/jalan-jalan-ke-pasar-malam-di-belanda/

http://vienavista09.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/tong-tong-fair-pioneer-kesenian-dan-budaya-di-belanda/

http://jakartaweekend.com/tong-tong-fair-jadi-ajang-indonesia-bidik-turis-asing/

Looking at The Real life of Turtles in Meru Betiri National Park

The Fatigue when we doing travelling , would suddenly felt disappear when we get precious moment of that trip. This is what I felt while I was visiting Meru Betiri National Park, the national park located in East Java precisely on the border between Banyuwangi and Jember.

My Journey was begin from Malang city, along with several fellow members of Nature Lover Organization of Brawijaya University (Impala UB). We depart at 01.00 pm with a motorcycle. for achieve  Banyuwangi city, we have to pass some city, those are Pasuruan, Lumajang, and Jember.

When we were arriving the town of Banyuwangi, the sun had reached its peak. From here, took about seven hours again to get to the location of national park. we continue started through the damaged roads, and began to enter the township residents consisting of a few houses, rice fields, and there is a river that runs along road. After successfully passing the broken road several miles, we began to hear the sound rustling of the waves and the waves of the sea start faintly visible  between  the bush of trees along the road we passed, that is signifies we have been at the beach area which means is not how much longer we will get to the welcome gate Meru Betiri National Park .

  Finally we are arrived Welcome Gate Meru Betiri National Park. Then we do the licensing in post licensing, According to postal officials is the main object in this Betiri Meru National Park is a turtle breeding places. to get to the breeding takes place, it is need time one hour trip.

To get to the location of breeding we have to pass through mountainous roads with rocks and surrounded by steep ravine.

No sooner,we had arrived at the location of turtles breeding on 06.30 pm.Local officials told that on middle of night, in the coastal area will be happen beautiful moment, there will be  turtle nesting, that moment only happens on certain nights.

We don't want wasted that moment, on 11.00 pm we went straight to the beach, on the beach we were told by the clerk to wait a bit, and we should not be noisy and not be issued light until the turtle comes.

Finally the turtle that we've been waiting had come,he emerges from the sea,the turtle are very large and are decades old.It walked toward the edge of the beach,found a comfortable place to lay eggs,and then he began to dig the sand,after digging some inside,it began to lay eggs,the eggs began to be issued one by one from the body of the turtle.Then the officer picked up the egg and count them. to be placed in captivity.

The next morning we had the opportunity to harvest the turtle eggs. and buried turtle eggs that have been taking turtle eggs last night when turtles lay their eggs.

Activities take place in captivity. The breeding places of sand contains fields that are useful for turtle eggs buried.Each area of sand lined with boards that read the identity of the date of turtle eggs buried in the sand area

after that we followed the officer to release the turtles to the beach, the turtles which released are the the turtles in captivity and has entered the age to be able to live in the open sea. The activity is intended that these turtles can live independently in his life.

At Meru Betiri National Park, I was able to learn how the real life of turtles, and a lot of knowledge as well as the benefits that can be derived from these activities