Agus stands with his designs. (JG Photo/Dyah Ayu Pitaloka)
Carnival is coming to Java. For the first time organizers of the second annual International Celaket Cross-Cultural Festival are expecting a crowd of up to 1,000 people to attend the world costume carnival, which passes through Celaket’s main street — Jalan Jaksa Agung — in Malang, on the first day of the festival.
“The costumes we have prepared vary. Not just local but also carnival costumes from 35 other countries,” said Agus Sunandar the coordinator of the event, which begins on Oct. 26 and runs through to Nov. 1.
Agus, who is also a fashion designer and a lecturer at Malang State University’s school of fashion design, said some participants are preparing to bring their own costumes while others have been designed and crafted by his team.
“All of the costumes will be worn by participants from their respective countries.
“There are some expatriates, students and artists in Malang and other areas in East Java who are involved. They provided references and materials from their own countries,” Agus said.
Among the costumes, which the team has already completed, are the gold Brazilian Samba pieces which are covered with ornate colorful stones and topped with extravagant feathered headgear.
There are also Venetian black-and-red costumes complete with masks akin to those seen in the Italian carnival.
As for the more revealing costumes, Agus said he needed to modify them in order to fit local customs and traditions.
“I use a translucent bustier for the top while the bottom is a long skirt,” he said of the Samba costumes.
Some costumes had to be redesigned for extravagance.
“Ukrainian costumes are just plain white. To look more glamorous I had to combine them with embroideries,” he said.
Agus’ team has also finished working on Persian and Scottish costumes while the Mexican, Dutch and African outfits are nearing completion.
As for the local costumes, Agus gathered his inspiration from the diverse archipelago. “Traditional costumes in Indonesia are very lavish. The Minangkabau group [West Sumatra] for example, have head dresses resembling golden buffalo horns with golden necklaces and belts. So it is easy to adapt them for a carnival,” he said.
To promote the event, Agus staged a trial run for the carnival on Jalan Ijen in Malang last week.
Ukranian and Venetian costumes were among the national dresses on display, which attracted a huge crowd.
“In my country we don’t have carnivals like this and I was very surprised when Indonesia staged one,” said Ukranian Anna Lysiuk who is studying Indonesian literature at the Malang State University under a students’ exchange program. Lysiuk also participated in the trial run and said she was looking forward to the carnival.
Aside from the parade, the festival will also host a number of seminars, exhibitions, fairs and performances by dancers from Malang and collaborative efforts with dancers from all over the world.
Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh, State-owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan and Indonesian Military chief Gen. Moeldoko are set to attend and join the festivities.
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