The Excitement of National Batik Day Celebration with Indonesian Diaspora in Other Countries

Written by: Maria Clarissa

October 2nd is celebrated as National Batik Day which marks the anniversary of recognition of batik as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2009. At first, batik was introduced to the international world by President Soeharto when he attended a United Nations conference. Later on, Indonesian Batik was registered to obtain Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) status through UNESCO on September 4 2008 in Jakarta. On 9 January 2009, batik’s application for the UNESCO Heritage of Humanity for Oral and Intangible Culture was officially accepted, and batik was confirmed as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee held by UNESCO in Abu Dhabi on 2 October 2009. The celebration of Batik Day itself is not only celebrated in Indonesia but also often being held in other countries. On this 14th anniversary, the celebration of Batik Day was celebrated in some countries such as Ukraine, Croatia, and the United States with various fascinating activities that were held to introduce Batik and Indonesia Culture to local communities in the countries above.

(Itjen Kemdikbud RI, 2023)

1. Kyiv, Ukraine

The celebration of National Batik Day in Kyiv was filled with a Batik Exhibition and Batik presentations in two languages by an Indonesian language teacher at Taras Shevchenko University who is also a staff member of the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv, Dr. Prabowo Himawan. The event was attended by various groups, starting from member of the Ukrainian parliament, Nekliudov Vladlen Mykhailovich, students and Indonesian language lecturers at Taras Shevchenko University, and the Indonesian diaspora & Ukrainian citizens who are Friends of Indonesia. Through this event, the Indonesian Ambassador and all the staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Kyiv and the Indonesian community diaspora in Kyiv were very enthusiastic about sharing knowledge of Indonesian culture with the Ukrainian community.

(Kementerian Luar Negeri RI, 2018)

2. Washington D.C., United States

In United States, the euphoria of National Batik Day was seen on World Bank Office where hundreds of agency staff queued to learn how to make batik and enjoy the beauty of ancient batik cloth. Most of the staffs were fascinated by the batik-making process that they were involved in. For a first-timer, some staffs also really glad that they could create Batik by themselves, seeing their admiration for the colorful tones in batik. The celebration itself has received many positive comments, which many of the visitors felt grateful for being introduced to one of Indonesia’s cultural treasures, Batik. The successful celebration of National Batik Day in the World Bank couldn’t be separated from the involvement of Ratna Cary, the Indonesian citizen who opened a batik learning room, which was packed until the afternoon, attracting many visitors to learn more about Batik and Indonesian Culture.

(VOA Indonesia, 2023)

3. Zagreb, Croatia

Festivity of National Batik Day was also seen in Zagreb, Croatia, where the Indonesian Embassy in Zagreb collaborated with exchange students from the IISMA programs by helding “Batik Day” which aims to introduced Batik to Croatian students through various activities such as Batik History exhibition, Indonesian Traditional Games, Indonesian Food Stall, and they also gave Batik-made product for souvenirs.

4. Chicago, United States

The excitement of National Batik Day was also seen in Chicago. The Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago held a sharing session about Batik and tutorials on tying Batik skirts at the Indonesian Cultural Center of the Consulate on October 2, 2023. The sharing session was led by Mrs. Dyah Miller, an Indonesian diaspora who was also a Batik expert from Cincinnati, Ohio. The activity aimed to further introduce and promote Batik to local communities.

REFERENCES

Itjen Kemdikbud RI. (2023, October 3). Menilik Sejarah Batik, Salah Satu Duta Budaya Indonesia – Inspektorat Jenderal Kemendikbudristek. Itjen.kemdikbud.go.id. https://itjen.kemdikbud.go.id/web/menilik-sejarah-batik-salah-satu-duta-budaya-indonesia/#:~:text=Sejarah%20Hari%20Batik%20Nasional%20dimulai

Kementerian Luar Negeri RI. (2018). Merangkul Warisan Budaya Indonesia Di Kyiv Melalui Perayaan Hari Batik Nasional | Portal Kementerian Luar Negeri Republik Indonesia. Kemlu.go.id. https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/5326/berita/merangkul-warisan-budaya-indonesia-di-kyiv-melalui-perayaan-hari-batik-nasional

VOA Indonesia. (2023, October 6). Perayaan Hari Batik di Bank Dunia, Ratusan Orang Antri Belajar Membatik. VOA Indonesia. https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/perayaan-hari-batik-di-bank-dunia-ratusan-orang-antri-belajar-membatik/7298486.html