Happy Diwali

[zinglicious]

Wishing all Indians Happy Diwali where the lights of goodness shine over the force of darkness.

[kuma]

Obama explains the spirit of Deepavali

Obama's Diwali Message 2013

[ng]

Wishing all Indians Happy Diwali where the lights of goodness shine over the force of darkness.

'All' indians ? Not all Indians celebrate Diwali just as not all Chinese celebrate Wesak day.

Only hindus..... There are many Indians who are Muslims and minority buddhist.

[SiangMalam]

No holiday in Indonesia but its a Saturday so still no jam so can go downtown...

Happy Diwali to all Hindu friends and happy nambikei with your 1PM at Putrajaya Open House coz he's still not back from Londo... maybe stopover at Milan again...

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[ng]

No holiday in Indonesia but its a Saturday so still no jam so can go downtown...


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Is Deepavali a holiday in Indonesia ? Are there many Hindus in Indonesia ?

[kwchang]

There are many Indians who are Muslims and minority buddhist.

don't forget the Christians who make up the 2nd largest religious group in Indonesia

..Are there many Hindus in Indonesia ?

I believe Bali is almost entirely Hindu (more than 90%)

[kuma]

Is Deepavali a holiday in Indonesia ? Are there many Hindus in Indonesia ?

Deepavali is not 'Merah' [a term commonly used there to denote public holidays, probably go to do with holidays marked in red in printed calenders ] in Indonesia, though the festival is celebrated by the Hindus there but more so from a "religious" perspective.....

Bali with its predominantly Hindu population, is where Deepavali is celebrated extensively and the festivities are somewhat different with what we do here......theirs are very religious and revolve around signifying the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.....and that's what Deepavali is really about....

.........the 'tradition' of having 'open house' parties with 'drinks' overflowing and all that yummy food is 'exclusive' to Malaysia.

Nyepi is a public holiday in Indonesia..........it is the day before New Year's Day as with the Balinese Calender.....but the celebration is one of 'silence, fasting and meditation'...........this normally falls in March,....... whereas the Hindu New Year [which M'sians follow] according to the Hindu Calender almost always falls on April 14th.

NB: For those planing holiday trips to Bali around March, should check out 'Nyepi' before you go because......

"Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth." [Source Wiki]

Hindus in Indonesia

Slightly less than 3% or in the region of 4 million plus......2.7M in Bali alone, balance includes about 50K Tamils in Sumatera, you will see a lot of them in Medan.

[tupai]

diwali 001.jpg

Happy Deepavali to all hindu & sikh friendshere, there and everywhere!

[husky]

Happy Deepavali to everyone that celebrates it.

.....and for the rest, Happy Hols....what with Tuesday being a holiday, I am sure most have taken Monday off.

Drive carefully.

[SiangMalam]

Indonesian government is still trying to make May 1 a National Holiday for labour day and Diwali as well but I suppose it will another few years... not under the present president who is becoming a softie when pressured by the Islamic right-wingers... If General Prabowo or the present Jakarta Governor Pak Joko Widodo becomes president... I believe they are more decisive...

[bslee]

I presume Indonesia is a very much more complex country for any president to manage and please its citizens. Is still a military backed regime like Thailand. No comparison to what your 1PM is supposed to deliver. There's great differences here and that land of 2nd ranked most muslim population in the world. Stark cultural and mindset differences too. What could be done there doesn't guarantee it can be exercised here. Consequences or backlash can be worse for everyone here in worst case scenarios.

[SiangMalam]

I presume Indonesia is a very much more complex country for any president to manage and please its citizens. Is still a military backed regime like Thailand. No comparison to what your 1PM is supposed to deliver. There's great differences here and that land of 2nd ranked most muslim population in the world. Stark cultural and mindset differences too. What could be done there doesn't guarantee it can be exercised here. Consequences or backlash can be worse for everyone here in worst case scenarios.

Not true.... after Soeharto was overthrown in 1998, Indonesia enacted a law which limit the terms of a president to 2 x 5 years and no armed forces can involve or interfere in politics... the Dewan Perundangan Rakyat DPR is supreme. Anti-corruption agency KPK is independent and reports to DPR. They have done well - last 12 months alone the KPK have bagged 2 ministers, 1 chief judge, chief of traffic police, chief custom officer at Tanjung Priok Port and many many more...