The 7th Grand Ceremony of Indonesian Chinese Surnames Respecting Ancestors was held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, on the 12th. Chinese representatives from all walks of life in Indonesia gathered together to jointly worship the cultural ancestor Xuanyuan Huangdi and the forebears of each surname.
This year's grand ceremony was jointly organized by the Jakarta Indonesian Chinese Surnames Association and the Indonesian Clan Associations of various surnames.
“Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li; Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang—within the Hundred Family Surnames is our shared homeland…” Along with the singing of the “Hundred Surnames Association Song,” the ceremony commenced. On the screen at the venue, a giant image of the Yellow Emperor was displayed, while on stage, ancestral tablets of Indonesian Chinese surnames were neatly arranged.
Honored guests first lit the main ceremonial altar’s Light of Enlightenment. Representatives of each clan association then took turns lighting the lamps in front of their respective ancestral tablets, symbolizing the passing on of civilization’s torch and the eternal existence of light.
After the main officiant solemnly read the sacrificial text, the choir performed “Ode to the Yellow Emperor.”
Zhang Zaijin, Chairman of the Jakarta Indonesian Chinese Surnames Association, stated that holding such a ceremony is not only to pay respects to ancestors, but also to honor the arduous pioneering efforts of the forebears. He hopes that this will strengthen the emotional bonds among Indonesian Chinese clans, allowing each family association to find their “spiritual homeland.”