TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Eid al-Fitr in Yogyakarta was celebrated in a rather unique set of actions. On the night before Eid al-Fitr, youths from Prawirodirjan, Yogyakarta, decided to make a huge lantern in shape of ferocious giant beast, unlike the common Islamic shapes.
The hairy black 4-meter tall figure stands as the representation of corruptors. The beast, locally recognized as Gendruwo, has two claws and blaring red eyes, using only sarong to cover his body.
The gendruwo was made out of cement paper bag and bamboo frame. It took nearly 15 adults to parade the figure, circling the Yogyakarta palace.
Dedi Setiawan, the coordinator, mentioned that the figure was made to resemble corruptors as a warning to all Indonesians. "Corruptors should receive harsher sentence like stoning, to have a deterrent effect," he said.
The massive figure received an instant spotlight from the passerby, including tourists, as they witnessed the giant entering city field. Christy, a Romanian backpacker, mentioned that it was an awesome experience to celebrate Eid al-Fitr in Indonesia.
PRIBADI WICAKSONO
