Celebrating Larung Sesaji with offerings and giving thanks to the sea. Cilincing, North Jakarta, Indonesia.
There is a tradition, known as Larung Sesaji, in the Fisherman’s Village in Cilincing, North Jakarta, to celebrate gratitude and give thanks to the sea for providing a livelihood to the fishermen, which Maritime Fairtrade visited on October 21. The ceremony involved putting offerings onto small boats and let them drifted out to sea. While giving thanks, the fishermen also prayed for a better catch.
This annual festival was stopped during the pandemic but this year, with the restrictions lifted, it was celebrated again in October after a two-year hiatus.
Sarkim, a 67 years old former fisherman who presided over the festival, said: “We give what we can as offerings to the sea, it is the thought that counts. We hope the sea can also continue to provide for us.
“The pandemic affected a lot of sectors, many restaurants and supermarkets closed down, and fishermen saw their incomes dropped drastically. I am getting old and fishing is getting so unstable so I sold my fishing boat and retired.
“The pandemic is a turning point and fishermen suffered along with the rest of the poor and impoverished in the country. We practically earned nothing and we still had to spend money to maintain our fishing boats. Even if we tried to fish, we sometimes managed to only catch 3 kg of fish. Now, with the resumption of Larung Sesaji, I hope it will be a new beginning for all fishermen.”
