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Mon, 27 Jan 2025
JIMBARAN – Students of Widiatmika Middle School enthusiastically celebrated the Lunar New Year through a series of lively and educational activities on Friday, January 24, 2025. The event featured a Barongsai (Lion Dance) performance, a lantern-making competition, and a wall magazine competition themed around Lunar New Year traditions. These activities aimed to instill an understanding that Indonesia’s cultural diversity is a blessing that strengthens unity.
The 2025 Lunar New Year celebration at Widiatmika Middle School carried the theme “Unity in Diversity, Harmony in Togetherness, Towards a Bright Indonesia.” The Chairperson of the Lunar New Year Celebration Committee, I Gede Maha Wijaya, explained the profound meaning behind the theme. According to him, the Lunar New Year celebration serves as an opportunity to teach students about the importance of unity and mutual respect, regardless of their diverse beliefs. By fostering a comfortable and conducive learning environment, students are expected to contribute to the vision of a harmonious Indonesia in the future.
“We aim to convey the message that Indonesia’s cultural diversity is a treasure that unites, not divides. Through hands-on experiences such as watching Barongsai performances, making lanterns, and working on wall magazines with friends from various backgrounds, students can learn to appreciate diversity as a gift from God Almighty to the Indonesian people,” Maha stated.
The event was highlighted by a mesmerizing Barongsai performance, providing students with an authentic cultural experience. The lantern-making competition became a platform for students to express their creativity while understanding Lunar New Year traditions. Meanwhile, the wall magazine competition encouraged students to explore the history and traditions of Lunar New Year in Indonesia, enriching their knowledge of the nation's cultural heritage.
Maha further added that these activities were designed as an educational platform to introduce students to Lunar New Year traditions. The goal was to help students learn to respect and appreciate Indonesia’s cultural diversity.
“These activities symbolically teach students that cultural diversity in Indonesia is a wealth that must be preserved. By fostering mutual respect and understanding, we can create harmony in society,” he concluded.
The Lunar New Year celebration at Widiatmika Middle School demonstrated how education can serve as a tool to strengthen unity and instill the values of tolerance. By actively involving students, the school not only introduces cultural traditions but also nurtures noble values such as tolerance and togetherness, which are vital for the next generation.
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