SOLO, jatengnetwork.com – Solo City hosted the grand celebration of the 44th Anniversary of the National Crafts Council (Dekranas), which was lively and colorful.
The highlight of the event, the Craft and Culture Parade, successfully broke the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) record for the competition with the most decorated cars.
A total of 102 decorated cars representing the unique cultures of 38 provinces in Indonesia filled Slamet Riyadi Street, stretching from Sriwedari Stadium to Pamedan Mangkunegaran, on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
The parade became a major attraction for locals and tourists eager to witness the beauty and diversity of Indonesian culture.
In addition to decorated cars, the event also featured 1,250 pedestrians dressed in traditional attire from various regions. They danced and sang regional songs, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Dekranas and the Surakarta City Government (Pemkot) received a MURI award for organizing the parade.
The MURI record award was personally presented by MURI Chairman Jaya Suprana to Dekranas Patron, who is also First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
The Craft and Culture Parade was part of a series of events for the 44th Dekranas Anniversary, held in Solo from May 15 to 18, 2024. Besides the parade, there were many other exciting events, such as an MSME exhibition, seminars, and workshops.
Before presenting the award, MURI Chairman Jaya Suprana stated that the decorated car parade organized by Dekranas actually set a world record.
According to him, never before had there been such a large-scale parade featuring so many decorated cars accompanied by beautiful dances.
“In my opinion, this is a world record. Such an event has never happened before, with so many decorated cars and such beautiful dances. I humbly ask the First Lady to accept this certificate,” said Jaya Suprana in front of First Lady Iriana Jokowi, greeted by applause from the audience.
Meanwhile, Iriana Jokowi, dressed in a kebaya and a traditional Dayak headpiece, appeared to enjoy the event. She rode a Rajamala-themed decorated car alongside members of the OASE Advanced Indonesia Cabinet (KIM).
Iriana and her entourage later disembarked at the Gatot Subroto (Gatsu) intersection and took seats at the honorary stage.
On the main stage, designed to resemble a train carriage complete with a steam locomotive, Iriana was accompanied by Dekranas Chairwoman Wury Ma’aruf Amin and Solo Dekranasda Chairwoman Selvi Ananda Gibran Rakabuming. They watched the parade until the last decorated car passed.
Dekranas New Entrepreneurs Division Head, Endang Budi Karya, who coordinated the competition, explained that the record was a significant achievement for Dekranas.
“We received the MURI record because today we successfully organized a craft and culture parade with the highest number of participants. Previously, the record was only 66 decorated cars,” she said after the event.
Endang also observed that the people of Solo welcomed the event with great enthusiasm. Many flocked to watch the parade.
“The enthusiasm of Surakarta residents and those from surrounding areas was overwhelming. They cheerfully welcomed and fully supported the event, ensuring its success,” Endang stated.
On the other hand, Solo's Head of Culture and Tourism Department, Aryo Widyandoko, revealed that the Solo City Government was given the green light by Endang to share the MURI award.
This was because the decorated car and cultural parade was successfully held through a collaboration between Dekranas and the city government.
“This was a collaboration with Dekranas. Ms. Endang Budi Karya asked the Solo City Government to assist in the organization,” Aryo explained.
Aryo hopes that hosting the Dekranas Anniversary in Solo will attract more visitors to the city. Additionally, cultural events like this provide great benefits to the residents of Solo and its surroundings.
Participants danced and sang regional songs, adding to the festive atmosphere. (jatengnetwork/Budi Cahyono)
In the Craft and Culture Parade competition, South Sumatra Dekranasda won the Overall Champion title, while South Kalimantan Dekranasda was named the Favorite Champion.
Solo City secured third place, behind Papua Highlands Province in first place and East Barito Regency in second.
Meanwhile, South Papua Province won First Honorable Mention, Kapuas Hulu Regency took Second Honorable Mention, and West Nusa Tenggara Province received Third Honorable Mention.
Besides the decorated car parade and cultural procession, various other exciting events are scheduled in the coming days.
The Dekranas Expo will feature 257 booths showcasing craft products, Indonesian culinary stalls, and consultation services for artisans at Pamedan Mangkunegaran Field.
Additionally, the Dekranas Talk will serve as a discussion platform covering topics such as digitalization of small and medium-sized industry products, global market entry strategies, and product branding, with insights from government agencies, private companies, state-owned enterprises, and provincial, regency, and city-level Dekranasda representatives. (*)
