Photo Wednesday: Posing with Ondel-Ondel in Jakarta

The Indonesian ondel-ondel reminds me of the Jamaican Johncanoo parades I saw as a child.  Last Friday evening in my way to work, a couple of ondel-ondel was passing by along with their band and I snapped a few pictures in the middle of the Jakarta traffic.

The ondel-ondel originated in Betawi, Indonesia.  Traditionally, the ondel-ondel is performed in villages to ward off evil spirits or protection against bad luck and calamities.  The word ondel-ondel refers to both the puppet and the performance. They are thought of as the earthly representations of ancestors.  The ondel-ondel are life size puppets woven from bamboo.  The bamboo is light enough for one person to lift it over their head and perform.  The puppets can either be male or female.  Nowadays, the puppets are used for livening up the place and the chance for the troop to collect money on the street.

Cute pose from ondel-ondel. Photo by:Diana O’Gilvie

Me with the male ondel-ondel. Photo by: Mr. Seb

The ondel ondel musicians. Photo by: Diana O’Gilvie

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