Festival Tidore East- West World Monument Bring a Rich Cultural Tradition

TIDORE, LELEMUKU.COM - Various events held to celebrate the 910th anniversary of the Tidore Palace with the main event of the Tidore East-West World Monument 2018 held from 30 March to 12 April 2018. In the 10th edition of the Tidore Festival 2018 will highlight the traditional culture of its rich and well-preserved society to this day.

Tidore Festival 2018 officially opened on Friday (30/03) and begins with custom procession Rora Ake Dango or Bamboo Water, in Sonine Gurua which is a field where customary rituals Gurabunga Village, Tidore Village, Tidore Islands City, North Maluku Province.

Ake Dango is the most sacred ritual of some series of events that exist. According to the Head of Culture and Tourism Office of Tidore City, Jacob Husain, this ritual is the original tradition of Tidore. Authenticity can be seen from the ritual of taking holy water (Tagi Kie) and clean mountain.

"Tagi Kie and clean mountain have not been publicized to the public and the media because this ritual is done by special people while taking water from the top of Mount Tidore," he said on the sidelines of Ake Dango, a few days ago, Kemenpar) on Wednesday (11/4).

The water source at the top of Mount Tidore is a sacred place. This water source is also called the main actor or the main source of life. Not just anyone can take the water. Only the descendants of the five Sowohi (tribal chiefs) may take it.

"There is also a source of water, and this water assumes that we are here as holy water and as a source of human life," he said.

Water becomes important, because delivered to the Sultanate of Tidore, on Saturday, March 31, 2018. And continued with Procession Ratib Haddad Farraj. However, the water was first installed in five custom homes of the five Sowohi clans in the Tidore Sultanate. Sowohi this is the guardian of Tidore Sultanate.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Tidore Islands, H Ali Ibrahim, said the Ake Dango procession is a ritual of the Five Marga meeting. The procession is to deliver water using Rau that has been taken from the top of the mountain. Water and Rau are united in Bamboo (Dango).

"The water that was put together in bamboo (Ake Dango) was continued overnight at Sonine Gurua, guarded by a representative of Five Marga armed with machetes and salawaku, which was done for the sake of safety so that Ake Dango will not be disturbed until the next morning," Ali said.

The procession is done at 21.00 WIT. With a dark atmosphere only illuminated by torches of fire. This ritual becomes an exciting spectacle for the people and tourists who come to Tidore.

Tidore and Ternate are two small islands west of the larger Halmahera island in North Maluku, now better known as the original Spice Island. In history, both Ternate and Tidore were once ruling sultans who ruled around the oceans of Eastern Indonesia.

The 2018 Tidore Festival features three main activities. The first is the Juanga Parade featuring sailing vessels of colorful traditional ships in war formations. The fleet was led by Sultan Tidore himself accompanied by the royal family and guarded by the army.

The second is the Paji Exploration, a retrace of the journey undertaken by the Sultan at the time of the Uprising by Sultan Nuku. The third is the royal procession of Sultan Tidore and his entourage, which was soon followed by the opening of the World Maritime Museum at Tidore Palace. (Kemenpar/PedomanWisata)