Everything About Dieng Culture Festival

Dieng, a plateau in the highlands, is a fantastic location for festivals. The realm above the clouds is thus named. Moreover, Dieng Plateau is one of the few locations in Indonesia where visitors may see some frost. Dieng Culture Festival (DCF) is a yearly cultural celebration that takes place. Since 2010, it has been held. It intends to promote travel to the Dieng Highland area.

The complex of temples in this area dates to the thirteenth century. They are all given the same name. At 2300 m above sea level, it is also home to Java’s highest settlement. In addition, Dieng has mountains, lakes of different colours, hot springs, and many more natural treasures.

One may have a once-in-a-lifetime festival experience at Dieng Cultural Festival. Consider beginning the event at a bitterly cold -4 C. The Dieng Plateau in Central Java, Indonesia, hosts the annual Dieng Cultural Festival. The festival honours the distinctive culture, arts, and customs of the region and is often celebrated in July or August. A popular tourist attraction in Dieng, Central Java, is the Dieng Cultural Festival, which draws both domestic and international visitors. September, the dry season, will see the three-day Dieng Cultural Festival. The festival began and planned a number of intriguing events as its side events.

Discover a special jazz performance in the midst of the outdoors. Dieng offers a better venue than a fancy music hall. There is no more exotic musical setting than the stage in front of Dieng’s Arjuna Temple. As it is located 2000 metres above sea level, the temperature might drop below zero.

The music will make it more adventurous. Sing along as the music begins to play and forget about the cold. Both international and Indonesian jazz artists are included in the roster. Among many others, Hiroaki Kato from Japan and Letto from Indonesia were the winners the previous year. This year’s roster is expected to be spectacular as well.

Traditional art and cultural performances, a fireworks fiesta, the release of traditional lanterns, and the well-known leather puppet wayang display serve as the festival’s highlights. A Dieng Film Festival and Jazz concerts named Jazz above the Clouds will add glitz to the festivities. The festival’s highlight will once again be the custom of cutting youngsters’ dreadlocks, as it is every year.

This ritual, which serves as the festival’s centrepiece, is genuinely spectacular. Dreadlocks or matted hair are not a preferred style here in the highlands of Dieng, where they are instead a mysterious characteristic that exclusively affects children from the Dieng plateau. Dreadlocks are often associated with the Rastafarian movement from Jamaica.

Dieng’s dreadlocked children have regular hair when they are born, but at some point in their early lives, their hair miraculously transforms into dreadlocks on its own. Many scientific investigations on the cause have not produced any plausible explanations. Yet, according to local myth, these children were selected in some way by the ancestors to receive these gifts.

So, the youngsters should not request that the dreadlocks be cut, because otherwise the hair will just keep growing back. In what is known as the Ruwatan Anak Gimbal, a sequence of traditional events, the beautiful moment of the dreadlock children’s hair removal is commemorated.

Details in a Nutshell

History: In order to promote the Dieng Plateau as a tourist destination and to highlight the regional culture and customs, the Dieng Cultural Festival was first staged in 1982.

Location: The event is held in the highland region of the Dieng Plateau in Central Java, Indonesia. With volcanic craters, hot springs, and picturesque vistas, the Dieng Plateau is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty.

Duration: A range of cultural activities and events are featured throughout the festival, which often lasts several days.

Activities: Visitors can take part in a variety of events throughout the festival, such as traditional dance performances, music concerts, cultural parades, and regional food markets. Also, tourists may explore the region’s natural beauties and engage in outdoor pursuits like cycling and hiking.

Cultural relevance: A distinctive culture and way of life that have been perpetuated for millennia are found on the Dieng Plateau. The event offers a chance to get familiar with and respectful of this culture, which includes old-fashioned songs, dances, and traditions.

Highlights: The colourful cultural procession, which contains traditional costumes and music, as well as the traditional Dieng bull race, which involves two pairs of bulls pulling a wooden cart, are a couple of the festival’s highlights.

Importance: The Dieng Cultural Festival is a significant occasion for the neighborhood’s residents and the local tourism sector. It draws tourists from across the world and aids in promoting and protecting the region’s cultural heritage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)