Participants from Kembanglimus Village carry a large elephant figure during the G20 cultural parade in Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, on Monday (September 12, 2022). (ANTARA PHOTO/Heru Suyitno).
There are dragons, elephants, and kijang kencana (antelope). We hope that the greatness of Borobudur Temple can offer welfare values for the communityAt least two thousand residents from 20 villages in Borobudur Sub-district, Magelang District, Central Java, participated in a cultural parade, or kirab budaya, on Monday, in enlivening the series of G20 activities there.
The cultural parade, which began with a joint prayer by representatives of the 20 villages, traveled from Pawon Temple to Borobudur Temple, covering a distance of about 1.5 kilometers.
The parade participants wore costumes based on the figure they carried, and each village group carried a large animal installation to enliven the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting (CMM) that was led by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, until September 14, 2022.
The large animal figures brought around by the parade participants were made of natural materials, such as banana fronds, bamboo, and pandan leaves, and fauna found in the reliefs of Borobudur Temple, such as elephants, roosters, turtles, wild boars, crocodiles, and peacocks.
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Meanwhile, Borobudur Sub-district Head Subiyanto said that the cultural parade involved 20 villages, with 100 people from each village.
Subiyanto said that the ambience of this kirab budaya was the actualization of the Borobudur Temple reliefs in the form of animals.
"There are dragons, elephants, and kijang kencana (antelope). We hope that the greatness of Borobudur Temple can offer welfare values for the community," he stated.
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Regarding the preparation of the cultural parade, Subiyanto said his side had coordinated, consolidated, and trained the participants since July 2022.
"The residents practiced at least thrice a week at night. The theme of each village is different based on what has been prepared by the committee, and there are 20 themes for 20 villages," he remarked.
This parade was accompanied by the same rhythm of music, but their movements were different according to their respective themes. The movements of a dragon, antelope, and wild boar were depicted.
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