A large number of predominantly Indonesian Muslims gathered in the Daan Forest Park in Taipei yesterday for the annual Eid al-Fitr event held by the Taipei City Government, marking the occasion with Halal food, music and culture.
Ria, from Indonesia, said she learned about the event online and was excited to visit the Halal food stands at a bazaar set up for the occasion, especially those offering Indonesian food, which she missed.
A public health PhD student at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s Taipei campus, Ria praised Taiwan for being Muslim friendly, citing Family Mart’s designated sections for Halal-certified food at its stores, as well Taiwan’s abundance of Halal restaurants and prayer rooms.
Photo: CNA
Aside from stands selling food and drinks, the city government also invited Taiwanese and Indonesians to set up stands that juxtaposed Taiwanese and Indonesian cultures.
These included stands displaying handmade Indonesian masks and shadow and string puppets placed side-by-side with a stand introducing Pat ka-tsiong, or “the eight infernal generals,” a traditional Taiwanese religious dance believed to rid the human realm of pandemics, demons, and evil spirits.
Gema Angklung, a band that features a traditional Indonesian percussion instrument known as Angklung, performed an instrumental rendition of “Tian Mi Mi” (甜蜜蜜) by late Taiwanese songstress Teresa Teng (鄧麗君).
The Taipei City Foreign and Disabled Labor Office, which organized the cultural events, said these activities were meant to promote mutual understanding between Taiwanese and Indonesians.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) in a speech thanked the Muslims for choosing to live and work in Taipei.
“Taipei is a passionate, friendly, inclusive and diverse city where people treat members of all ethnic groups as family, regardless of who arrived first,” he said.
Indonesia’s representative to Taiwan Arif Sulistiyo said there were around 35,000 Indonesians in Taipei, over 90 percent of whom are Muslims.
Arif said he was moved to see some Indonesian caregivers attending yesterday’s event with the seniors under their care, promising to continue working with the Taipei City Government to hold what he described as the largest Eid event in Taiwan.
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