Fajarasia.co – DPR RI Speaker Puan Maharani attended the Kebaya Parade in Solo, Central Java, which was held to enliven the 2022 National Batik Heart. She was present with First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo along with a number of members of the Era Solidarity Action Organization (OASE) of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet and his wife. governors throughout the country.
The event entitled ‘Berkebaya with the First Lady’ was held in front of the official residence of the mayor of Solo, to be precise at Loji Gandrung to Ndalem Wuryoningratan, Sunday (2/10/2022). A total of 2,500 participants took part in the Kebaya Parade, some even came from outside the city of Solo.
Public interest is also quite high for this Kebaya Parade. Many residents watched from the side of the road. The event also presented 35 independent women consisting of 10 baskets of herbal medicine carrying, 10 sellers of traditional Solo foods, 5 street singers, five courtiers of the Surakarta Kasunanan Palace, and five workers carrying Pasar Legi.
“Speaking of batik, we cannot be separated from Kebaya which is also an Indonesian cultural heritage. This Women’s Parade event also supports Kebaya Goes to UNESCO,” said Puan.
After seeing the Kebaya Parade, the first woman who served as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives was originally supposed to directly enter the Wuryoningratan Pendopo with Iriana for an early dinner. However, Ms. Puan became the target of selfie participants at the event.
People went up to the main stage and scrambled to take pictures with Puan. Patiently, Puan responded to requests for photos from residents for almost 30 minutes at a location 30 meters from the Ndalem Wuryoningratan gate.
Before joining the event with Iriana, Puan visited Kauman Batik Village in Solo. He visited production houses and batik show rooms by walking down the halls of Kampung Batik Kauman.
Wearing a red batik vest with the Mega Overcast pattern, Puan meets local residents who are producing batik. Every now and then, he also seems to be conversing with the batik makers in Kauman Village.
Puan deliberately took the time to come to Kauman Village, which is known as one of the centers of batik in Indonesia. He wants to give support to batik designers and SMEs.
“UNESCO has designated batik as a Humanitarian Heritage of the Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Culture from Indonesia. It is our collective duty to preserve batik as the cultural heritage of Indonesia’s pride,” said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
As is known, batik is officially part of 76 arts and traditions from 27 countries recognized by UNESCO. The DPR also continues to provide support to the Government in batik promotion programs around the world.
In Kauman Village, Puan also had time to make batik with the local community. He makes cloth with the Wahyu Jati motif, which has a philosophy that reflects the identity of the wearer.
“On behalf of the Indonesian House of Representatives, I wish you a happy 2022 National Batik Day to all people. Just like the diversity of cultures in Indonesia, batik also has many beautiful motifs such as the face of Indonesian cultures,” said Puan.
“Let’s work together to introduce and promote batik so that it becomes more global,” concluded the grandson of the proclaimer of the Republic of Indonesia Bung Karno.***
