Every 17 August, our country celebrates its anniversary. On this date, the government holds a flag ceremony at the State Palace annually to celebrate Indonesia’s independence, with the attendance of state officials, national figures, freedom fighters, foreign dignitaries, and some public members. If you are unfamiliar with this flag ceremony's history and series of events, check out the information in this article!
According to Indonesia.go.id, the flag ceremony at the State Palace on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara was first held on 17 August 1950. The occasion was not only to celebrate Indonesia’s fifth year of independence but also President Soekarno’s return from exile on Bangka Island after the Round Table Conference in December of the previous year.
At that time, Soekarno ordered a 17-meter flagpole to be erected to raise the red and white flag. But, a heroic and quite long story is behind the heritage flag hoisted during the ceremony.
According to historical records, the red and white flag sewn by Fatmawati had been torn into two based on color by Soekarno’s aide, Mutahar, to prevent it from being confiscated by the Dutch.
Far from Batavia (Jakarta), Mutahar resewed the torn red and white flag pieces by following Fatmawati’s stitching pattern. He then sent the heritage flag to Soekarno, who was still on Bangka Island then. Eventually, the Indonesian people celebrated their first independence in Batavia (Jakarta) City during that flag ceremony.
In the following years, the flag ceremony led by the President of Indonesia was always held at the State Palace, except on 17 August 1963. That year, President Soekarno moved the flag ceremony to Gelora Bung Karno because he wanted to showcase the international-standard stadium designed by Indonesian architect Friedrich Silaban to the world.
Every 17 August, the State Palace on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara hosts the flag ceremony to celebrate the country’s anniversary. The flag ceremony is led by the President of Indonesia and is held in the morning and afternoon.
The series of events for the morning flag ceremony will begin with a performance by the Gita Bahana Nusantara choir at 7:30 AM. Next, there will be a procession to deliver the heritage flag duplicate from Monas to the Palace, followed by around an hour of cultural performance. Approximately 1.5 hours later, or around 9:30 AM, the Commemoration of the Proclamation of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia ceremony will occur.
Meanwhile, the series of events for the afternoon flag ceremony will begin with a cultural performance at 3:30 PM. An hour later, the Ceremony for Lowering Indonesia's National Flag occurs. Both the morning and afternoon ceremonies can be watched live by all Indonesian people through broadcasts on various local television channels.
According to a news article on detik.com last June, this year’s flag ceremony will be slightly different from previous years. This time, the ceremony to celebrate Indonesia's 79th Anniversary will be held in two locations: the State Palace in Jakarta and the Garuda Palace in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN Nusantara).
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Muhadjir Effendy, stated that the flag ceremony in Jakarta will be led by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, accompanied by the elected Vice President for the next term, Gibran. Meanwhile, the current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), will lead the ceremony at IKN Nusantara, accompanied by the elected President for the next term, Prabowo.
That was a brief overview of the history and series of events of the flag ceremony commemorating Indonesia’s Anniversary at the State Palace. Are you excited to watch this ceremony from your television screen at home?
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