Halo~
As promised, I’m posting a short story about and behind Indonesia Mother’s Day, which we, in Indonesia, celebrates on 22 December each year (rather than the international one on May). Usually, schools celebrate this day by inviting the mothers of their students. Then, the students would sing some songs, give flowers, and sometimes even wash their mother’s feet. Apparently there’s a hymn and a march for Mother’s Day, but I never heard of them so I can’t say anything about them.
I actually never thought about why Indonesia celebrates Mother’s Day on a different date as the international community (I even though the international date is the strange one) until my lecturer mentioned it during a class about gender and international relations when commenting on the usage of the term ‘wanita’ versus ‘perempuan’ (both means woman in English). Apparently, there’s a significant history and struggle behind it.
On 22-25 December 1928, not long after the second Youth Congress which produced the Youth Pledge, female Indonesian freedom fighters from Java and Sumatra gathered in Yogyakarta for the First Indonesia Woman Congress (Kongres Perempuan Indonesia Pertama). On this first congress, issues such as women fighter, health, early marriage, and the overall role of women in the fight for independence were discussed in-depth. Then on July 1935, the Second Indonesia Woman Congress was held, and on 1938, the thirds congress was held in Bandung. In this third congress, the date 22 December when Indonesia Women Association (Perserikatan Perempuan Indonesia or PPI) was established was then agreed as Indonesia’s Mother’s Day. The date become official when Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, declared it as such in 1959.
In the beginning, the day was commemorated to remember the spirit and struggle of women in securing Indonesia’s independence though bettering the nation’s quality of life. It cannot be separated from the fight against colonialization and for women’s rights, which makes it a bit different from the international Mother’s Day. Through its commemoration every year, we are reminded of how women is part of the forces that enabled, enable, and will enable national development.
A bit about the debate between the terms wanita and perempuan to refer to woman. The term perempuan is more accepted by most women rights activists, as it derived from the term ‘empu’ which means ‘master’ or ‘owner’. This means perempuan (woman) is a dignified and magnificent master of their own, and not an object whose sole purpose is to serve men. On the other hand, wanita came either from the Sanskrit word ‘vanita’ which can mean ‘desired’ or from the Javanese phrase ‘wani ditata’ which means ‘dare to be ruled over’. This led to an understanding where women become simply an object to be desired and ruled over by men. During the New Order era led by second president Suharto, the term wanita was indoctrinated to make Indonesian women more…feminine AKA docile, kind, patient, soft, graceful, weak, and subservient. These images do not vibe with current development, and this is why most activists choose to use perempuan rather than wanita, even though in the Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia or KBBI) the two are synonyms with the same meaning. Connotation matters.
That’s all for now, though I want to show you my favourite Mother’s Day song called ‘Bunda’, which is one of the many ways one can call their mother in Indonesia, so I’ll attach the lyric in Bahasa Indonesia and its translation to English below. If you’re interested in the tone, just head over to YouTube and search for ‘Bunda’ by ‘Melly Goeslaw (Potret)’.
Happy Indonesian Mother’s Day to all women out there. May your light shines through (\≥w≤/)
BUNDA
Kubuka album biru
Penuh debu dan usang
Kupandangi semua gambar diri
Kecil, bersih, belum ternoda
Pikirku pun melayang
Dahulu penuh kasih
Teringat semua cerita orang
Tentang riwayatku
Kata mereka, diriku s'lalu dimanja
Kata mereka, diriku s'lalu ditimang
Nada-nada yang indah
S'lalu terurai darinya
Tangisan nakal dari bibirku
Takkan jadi deritanya
Tangan halus dan suci
T'lah mengangkat tubuh ini
Jiwa-raga dan seluruh hidup
Rela dia berikan
Kata mereka, diriku s'lalu dimanja
Kata mereka, diriku s'lalu ditimang
Oh, Bunda, ada dan tiada dirimu
'Kan selalu ada di dalam hatiku
Here’s the English free-translation:
MOTHER
I opened a blue album
Dusty and all worn-out
I see all these picture of me
My little, clean, innocent self
My thought flew
To the past full of love
I remember people’s story
About my past
They said I was always spoiled
They said I was always cuddled
Beautiful notes
Always unravelled from her
Naughty cries from my lips
Was never her suffering
Soft and sacred hands
Have lifted this body
Body, soul, and her whole life
She willingly gives for me
They said I was always spoiled
They said I was always cuddled
Oh, Mother, whether you’re here or not
You will always be in my heart
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