Larantuka : Land of the The Christian
Each year, the week before Easter Sunday, the town of Larantuka, East Flores, solemnly celebrates the Holy Week, popularly known here as “Semana Santa”. The pinnacle of these celebrations is the commemoration of Christ’s suffering on Good Friday by following the stations of the Cross, known here as the “Sesta Vera”.
In Larantuka, prayers center around two religious icons, one is the statue of Jesus Christ (locally known as Tuan Ana) and the other is that of the Virgin Mary (Localy known as Tuan Ma). Both are original statues brought here by Portuguese missionaries Gaspar do Espírito Santo and Agostinho de Madalena in the 16th century. These statues are presented to the public only during Easter and are kept out-of-view for the rest of the year.
Having strong Portuguese colonial influences, the town is commonly known as one where Catholicism flourishes in Indonesia. For more than four centuries, this region inherited Catholicism through the role of the common people rather than through the clergy. The King of Larantuka, missionaries, the brotherhood of apostles of the common people (Confreria), the Semana Tribe, and the Kakang (Kakang Lewo Pulo Tribe) as well as the Pou (Lema Tribe) have played pivotal roles in the development of Catholicism in this Larantuka region.
The Semana Santa commences with the Rabu Trewa or the Shackled Wednesday (or Ash Wednesday) on the mid-Easter week. On this day, devotees gather in chapels and pray, remembering the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot which led to Jesus’ arrest and shackling. This is the time when the town of Larantuka turns into the Town of Mourning; a time when it drowns into solemnity and reflection for the purification of the soul.
The pinnacle of the rituals falls on Good Friday or the Sesta Vera. The door of the chapel of Tuan Ma and Tuan Ana (Jesus and the Virgin Mary) opens at ten o’clock in the morning. The Good Friday procession is highlighted by the ritual of carrying the body of Jesus Christ, placing Jesus at the center of the ritual and placing Mother Mary at the center of attention, as the mourning mother (Mater Dolorosa). The Sabtu Santo (Holy Saturday) and the Minggu Paskah (Easter Sunday) follow the next days, marking the end of the entire Easter week procession.
There are few hotels and accommodation facilities available in the region, so if you plan to attend the Semana Santa make sure that you make your arrangements early. A number of travel agents offer special packages to ease your travels.
Transnusa in cooperation with Aviastar now operates twice daily flights from Denpasar (Bali) and Labuan Bajo,leaving Bali at 08.00 am and 12.00 noon. The flight takes about 1 hour. Transnusa also serves Kupang – Larantuka.
Batavia Air has started operating Surabaya-Denpasar-Kupang-Maumere-Kupang flights using B737-200 aricraft. Flights to Maumere are 4 times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
While Merpati flies Kupang-Maumere., and Garuda Indonesia flies only Jakarta-Kupang (on the island of Timor) from where you can connect on local airlines to Flores.
You can check flight details at indonesia.travel: click on Flights to Indonesia at this web’s home page
Source: www.indonesia.travel
No comments:
Post a Comment