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Harmony in diversity: Tabanan’s Lunar New Year parade brings cultures together

• 10 Maret 2026
• Insight
• Tabanan

TABANAN, NETIZENBALI.COM - Thousands of residents in Tabanan gathered on Sunday to celebrate the Lunar New Year and Cap Go Meh Festival 2577, a vibrant cultural event highlighting the regency’s strong tradition of interfaith harmony and diversity.

The colorful cultural parade was led by Tabanan Regent I Komang Gede Sanjaya and began at Vihara Dharma Catra before ending at Taman Bung Karno.
Residents lined the streets along the parade route, enthusiastically watching thousands of participants representing various ethnic and religious communities.

The procession showcased a rich blend of Indonesian cultural traditions, turning the festival into a lively display of unity in diversity.
Sanjaya said the festival, now held for the third time in the regency, demonstrated the local administration’s commitment to maintaining and strengthening harmony among religious communities.

Tabanan, he noted, has received recognition as a region of religious harmony from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but the local government continues to reinforce those values through inclusive cultural activities involving all segments of society.

“This festival is not only about Chinese culture. It also involves other traditions — Sundanese, Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities all join together in one parade,” Sanjaya said, as quoted by local media outlet Nusa Bali.

To illustrate the spirit of unity among residents, the regent compared Tabanan’s social harmony to a plate of fried rice — a dish made from different ingredients blended together to create a single flavorful meal.

“When cooking fried rice, you mix rice, salt, eggs, chicken and vegetables. Harmony in Tabanan works the same way — when everything blends together, the result is delicious,” he said.

The parade opened with ceremonial flag-raising troops and a drum band from the Tabanan regency administration, followed by energetic barongsai lion dance performances and a procession of elaborately dressed cultural figures.

Sanjaya walked alongside Deputy Regent I Made Dirga and several invited guests throughout the parade. Traditional royal figure Ida Anglurah Tabanan was also present, joining residents in witnessing the festivities.

A highlight of the event was the “Pelangi Harmoni” (Harmony Rainbow) procession, which brought together members of the Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB), interfaith youth and women’s groups, and the Anak Nusantara community.

The celebration featured a wide range of cultural performances, including cheongsam parades, children’s drum bands, barong landung and barong bangkung dances. Cultural expressions from across the archipelago also enlivened the festival, such as the Sundanese Jaipongan dance and Jawara

Sunda martial arts, the Jai’i dance from the Timor Flobamora community and a hadrah performance by the Tunggal Sari group. Another crowd favorite depicted the legendary journey of the monk Tang Sanzang searching for sacred scriptures in the West, accompanied by iconic characters such as Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing.

The festival served as a vivid reminder that Tabanan’s strength lies in its diversity — where many cultures and faiths blend together, much like ingredients in a single dish, to create a harmonious community. (NB/ wan)