VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

If the situation is getting better when we can travel again, please visit various regions in Indonesia, such as South Kalimantan. In addition to visiting beautiful tourist objects, in South Kalimantan, you can also enjoy a variety of special foods. You will find a variety of foods with the name Masak Habang.  There are Chicken Masak Habang, Egg Masak Habang and Snakehead Fish Masak Habang. Masak Habang is actually a seasoning. It is very commonly found in various kinds of cuisine typically Banjar tribe in South Kalimantan. Habang in Banjar language means red. Just like the name, Masak Habang seasoning is red-colored.

The red color of Masak Habang seasoning is produced from the main ingredient, which is dried red chili. This seasoning also uses shallots, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, terasi or shrimp paste, salt, and brown sugar. Even though it has a dark red appearance, Masak Habang seasoning doesn't taste spicy but tastes a bit sweet because it uses brown sugar as a food delicacy.

Various kinds of dishes can be combined with Masak Habang spices. The most common ones are hintalu (eggs), haruan fish (snakehead fish), chicken or chili sauce. Masak Habang dishes are often served at sultanate events, parties, weddings and formal events. As time goes by, this food can be enjoyed by all people and become a culinary heritage from Kalimantan. It is not difficult to find restaurants or food stalls that sell this menu in Banjar regency and other areas in Kalimantan.

Sipoholon hot spring in North Tapanuli is surrounded by white limestone hills. When you travel to Sipoholon hot spring, besides being able to feel the cool mountain air, you can also enjoy the beautiful scenery while bathing in hot water. The hot spring is located in Situmeang Habinsaran, Sipoholon District, North Tapanuli, North Sumatra. The location is very strategic and easy to access.

When you enter the Sipoholon hot spring area, you will see mountains of sand that emit a white color similar to cotton. It has a temperature of around 40 to 70 degrees Celsius; it’s appropriate for you to get relaxed. The sulfur content in this bath is said to be able to cure skin diseases and smooth the skin.  Besides being visited for health, this bath is also visited by tourists who like photography. They deliberately come to get the best photos in the most beautiful place in North Tapanuli. After bathing and soaking in warm water, usually the visitors feel hungry. They can go directly to the stalls or restaurants that are available not far from the hot spring.

To visit this place, you only take about 7 minutes by motor vehicles from Tarutung City. Meanwhile, to get to Tarutung, you take about 4 to 5 hours from Medan City, the capital of North Sumatra. To enter this tourism spot, you only need to pay a ticket worth Rp 5,000 per person. Sipoholon hot spring is a natural bath that was formed due to the eruption of Mount Marimbang which contains sulfur.

Lawang Sekepeng Tradition is one of the traditional ceremonies in the wedding stage of the Ngaju Dayak tribe, Central Kalimantan to welcome the groom's entourage and his family. The tradition has been performed since past times. In Ngaju Dayak language, Lawang means door or gate, while Sakepeng means one piece. So, Lawang Sakepeng means "One-Piece Door.”  Lawang Sekepeng is like a sturdy gate made of wood. The wood is approximately 1.5 meters wide and about 2.3 meters high.  Moreover, above the gate, it is usually placed carvings of vines and decorations of hornbills. On the side of the gate, it is decorated with coconut leaves or young coconut leaves. Some Talawang (Dayak shields) are also often used as decorations on the right and left of Lawang Sakepeng. In the middle of the gate, three threads are spread that have been decorated with colorful flowers, and it becomes a symbol of obstacles for the groom to enter the bride's house.

The attraction of Lawang Sakepeng is the performance of self-defense when welcoming and respecting guests who attend a traditional ceremony. Both the groom and the bride will send their Silator martial arts masters to face each other. When Garantung (a typical Dayak Ngaju gong) and Katambung (a typical Ngaju Dayak drum) are played, these martial arts masters, both male and female, will fight each other until the three threads that block the groom's entrance are cut off. By the breaking of the three threads, the Lawang Sakepeng ritual ends. The Lawang Sakepng tradition has a deep meaning related to the new life of the bride and groom. The three threads that hinder or become the boundary between the bride and groom have their own meaning. The first thread becomes a symbol of distress that is often present in personal and family life. The second one represents a symbol of a bad relationship when the bride and groom start their family life. Finally, there is a symbol of something related to death. The breaking of these three threads means that all dangers, disasters, and bad relationships that prevent the bride and groom from starting a new life as a family will disappear.

Allegedly,  it is said that for the Lawang Sakepeng silat style, the ancestors of the Dayak tribe at that time adopted animal movements and behaviors, for example, by imitating ferocious animals or endemic invaders that are widely inhabited in the forests of Borneo. They include Bears, Beruks (Bangkui moves) and other moves that are oriented towards attacking or predatory creatures. Traditional clothes in the Lawang sakepeng attraction usually use Ngaju Dayak traditional clothes, which is a vest made of bark called Sangkarut. The pants are loincloths with the front covered by a rectangular sheet of Nyamu cloth called Ewah. Currently, the vest has been made of light brown cloth like the original color of the wood. The head uses a headband (salutup hatue) for men and (salutup bawi) for women, and uses earrings (suwang), necklaces, bracelets and tattoos on certain body parts.

President Joko Widodo was acting as an inspector of the Commemoration of the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia at the State Palace in Jakarta on August 17, 2021. At the ceremony, he wore traditional Pepadun clothes from Lampung. The traditional clothes worn are dominated by red and white colors. President  Joko Widodo wore white long sleeves and pants. At the waist, it was wrapped with a typical red Lampung sarong and woven with gold thread. The President also pinned a red scarf with the same motif as the sarong. At the waist of the President, there was a red belt with gold-colored circle accessories. He also wore a red headband with a yellow pattern. Meanwhile, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin was present wearing blue Sundanese traditional clothes.

Lampung traditional clothes are known as Tulang Bawang clothes. Tulang Bawang clothes are usually worn on certain events, such as weddings. The Tulang Bawang clothes are divided into Lampung Pepadun and Lampung Saubatin.  The striking difference between the two traditional clothes is the dominance of color in which Lampung Pepaduan is more identical with white, while Lampung Saubatin is red. Basically, there are several main components of Lampung traditional clothes worn by men and women. For men, this traditional dress consists of a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, tumpal sarong, sesapuran, and khikat akhir.

The main point of Lampung traditional clothes is the sarong tumpal, which is a typical Lampung cloth woven with gold thread. On the clothes worn by President Joko Widodo, there is a red tumpal sarung with gold thread decoration in it. Then, there is also khikat akhir or bujur scarf. This scarf is draped over the shoulders to cover the shoulders. In addition to the main components, there are also supporting accessories that are usually used. They are a necklace from jakum fruit, papan jalar necklace, selempang pinang, various bracelets, and belts equipped with a dagger.

This traditional Pepadun clothing from Lampung has a very beautiful philosophical meaning. Clothing with a predominance of white color depicts the nature of wisdom, cleanliness and purity. The white color is also mentioned as a symbol that the people of Lampung are civilized and obedient to religious norms. Then, the gold color in these traditional clothes shows strength and prayer for abundance of sustenance.