A Thousand Women in Kebaya Enliven National Kebaya Day Celebration at Borobudur Temple

Borobudur Temple Tourism Park witnessed the excitement of the first commemoration of National Kebaya Day entitled 1000 Women Wearing Kebaya on Wednesday (24/7/2024). Around 1500 women from 42 organizations gathered to celebrate kebaya at the World Cultural Heritage destination.

This first activity was recorded as a new record by the Indonesian World Record Museum (MURI) as the Most Proud Women Wearing Kebaya at Borobudur Temple. Participants who gathered wearing kebaya with various styles and variants also distributed kebaya to traders in Borobudur and released doves as a form of hope for the preservation of kebaya in the future.

The initiator of the event who is also the Chair of the KOWANI Mother's Day, Wiendu Nuryanti, said that the women who gathered in the courtyard of Borobudur Temple gathered and united through a movement of being proud to wear kebaya as a form of follow-up to the determination of the commemoration of National Kebaya Day every July 24.

The Borobudur Bangga Berkebaya activity is one of the participations in the Kebaya Goes to UNESCO activity which is currently being programmed by the government. This activity is one of the steps of participation in obtaining recognition of kebaya as an intangible cultural heritage and as proof that kebaya has received widespread support and continues to develop to color the world's fashion treasures.

"Bung Karno held a meeting at Istora Senayan attended by more than 6 thousand women wearing kebaya. There we placed kebaya as a cultural heritage of Indonesia. Today, right on the first National Kebaya Day, we are commemorating, celebrating, and giving awards attended by 1500 women who are proud to wear kebaya. We hope that kebaya can be preserved and continue to move along with the civilization of Indonesian women," she explained.

Director of Cultural Protection, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Irini Dewi Wanti, who attended the event said that kebaya must be passed on to the next generation as a form of sustainability. How will it be after the determination by UNESCO, according to Irini, all elements of the nation must be able to maintain the sustainability of kebaya in Indonesia.

"We must continue to dress and positively revive the ecosystem. How kebaya revives its craftsmen and all elements involved in its creation. Commemorating Kebaya Day is a moment of motivation for Indonesian women to continue Indonesia's cultural heritage. Together we become advanced women for the Indonesian nation," she explained.

Commercial Director Hetty Herawati fully supports the very special event, because Borobudur with its extraordinary history witnessed the historic event of the first National Kebaya Day commemoration of Indonesia. She hopes that kebaya can continue to be preserved and be passed down well from one generation to the next.

"Borobudur Temple was chosen as the location of the activity because it is one of the world's cultural heritages. By calling for the kebaya culture at the location, it is hoped that it can further increase the love for world cultural heritage, including kebaya," he concluded.