Indonesia
People Fiesta at Rujak Uleg Feast
Tens of thousands Surabayan swarmed in Kembang Jepun Street, Sunday afternoon May 18th 2014. They had a rujak fiesta. They were making the rujak, dancing, and basically having fun in annual Rujak Uleg Festival. The event started in 2007, Superkids. Always at the same site, Chinatown area of Kembang Jepun, known as Kya Kya. It’s only a few hundred meters from the red bridge, an iconic monument of Surabayan people against the allied troops.
This year, 250 teams took place in the feast. Each team had maximum five members. The tables were arranged in a straight line, covering the road. The even started at 01.00 PM, yet both audience and the competing teams were already in sight since 10.00 AM. The participants came earlier to get a head start. They brought the tools and ingredients they need to make the rujak, turning the tables into the most eye catching ones and dressed up in garish, over makeup, and funny accessories. Some appeared to be the burglar cat, shadow puppet characters or even put a cow head, the symbol of local rujak cingur, on the tables.
The event that was dominated by housewives community gathering of all sub districts in Surabaya, today the feast was also crowded by many institutions. Name them, banks, colleges even civil service police units. Same goes with the audience, they did not only come from Surabayan but from other places even tourist from abroad invaded the site for the feast.
The event was held by Surabaya’s City Government and was opened by the Mayor Tri Rismaharini. As if she didn’t want to miss out, Risma joined the participants working on the giant mortar before moved to other tables to encourage the teams. When the team were busty with the klatakan (content of the rujak), the crowd went louder supporting them from the street side. Audience didn’t want to miss the tense atmosphere, they were shouting and clapping over the teams hilarious acts who were struggling to work together on the rujak.
This rujak is not like the regular ones we use to have, Superkids. It’s cingur rujak (also known as petis rujak, a special culinary proud of people of Surabaya. The content were mixture of fresh fruits (pineapple, jicama, raw mango) boiled vegetables (cucumber, sprout bean, etc), lontong, tofu, tempe and – this is the one that makes the different- slice of cingur aka buffalo lips. The sauce was made by grinded nuts and – another differentiates thing- shrimp petis. Risma was planning on registering the rujak ulek, along with the feast for a patent. The last thing she wanted to see was rujak ulek suddenly pop up in other country. “We’ll have it registered this year”, Risma promised.
The 2014 Rujak Uleg Festival was brought up for the 721 Anniversary of Surabaya on May 31st. By the end of the event, participants distributed free rujak for everyone. Everyone got a share, all was happy.
HAFIDA INDRAWATI
PHOTOS: HAFIDA INDRAWATI
