Aceh dancers celebrate Indonesia's Independence Day

More than 2,000 boys dressed in colourful traditional costumes took part yesterday in a mass dance in Aceh's capital city, Banda Aceh, to mark Indonesia's Independence Day. The 2,019 teenagers, one for each year, lined up playing the tambourine-like
PHOTO: EPA-EFE

More than 2,000 boys dressed in colourful traditional costumes took part yesterday in a mass dance in Aceh's capital city, Banda Aceh, to mark Indonesia's Independence Day. The 2,019 teenagers, one for each year, lined up playing the tambourine-like Rapa'i and singing a song that recounts the history of Islam in the South-east Asian country. This year, participants were selected from 140 villages in Aceh's Blangpidie district to train for weeks for the country's 74th Independence Day celebrations. Thousands of spectators watched and cheered enthusiastically as the boys played their instruments and danced in shifting formations.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 18, 2019, with the headline Aceh dancers celebrate Indonesia's Independence Day. Subscribe