Bandung Local Customs

1 more image

In one stays in the Hotel Panghegar,
there in the lobby is two times a week, at late afternoon a performance of traditional Sundanese Musik.
It is nice to sit and to hear the sound of Sundanese Culture.
And nice to view the Impression, see the Photo from 2006.

1 more image

Angklung is a traditional South-East Asian musical instrument, made by bamboo. Udjo Nalagena, a famous angklung artist, created an Angklung House in the outskirt of Bandung, where angklung is made, learned and played. You can enjoy an angklung orchestra played by 12 year old or less children or even be a part of this orchestra, holding one of the angklung instrument. The place is in the middle of padi terrace and bamboo field, a perfect location to feel the relaxness of a small village. It is one of the famous travel destination among westerners and is highly recommended

In its stage, Angklung needs many personal. The instrument made from bamboo where its use by shaken down. That way the instruments will release unique sounds. The shape of angklung consists of two bamboo sticks on many shapes, which are balanced, with the need of frequencies of tone.

Location: Jalan Padasuka no 118 Bandung Jawa Barat

The easiest way is to rent a car to go there or ask your travel agent if there is a program to visit this place.

1 more image

Three dimensional carved wooden puppets.

The Sundanese puppet character, Cepot (pronounced “Chay-pot”), although the real star of the show is the puppet manipulator, or dalang, Asep Sunandar Sunarya. In the all- night puppet theater performances of wayang golek, Cepot embodies a boisterous and outspoken country bumpkin whose obscene language and carnivalesque humor challenge elitist social conventions and class hierarchies. Through his style of speaking Sundanese, dancing regional dances, village appearance and demeanor, and direct form of expression, Cepot has long been a site for defining the jago (macho) attitude of Sundanese males. In one modern version, Cepot can move his head up and down (as well as from side to side) and often has articulated hands. In another manifestation, he has a leg which is used in comedic dance scenes. In addition, dalang often place a lit cigarette in his mouth, which seems to indicate his almost human quality.

Cepot and Sundanese Identity
Who is Cepot? A family of clown servants, or panakawan, traditionally appear in performances of Sundanese wayang golek:
They include Semar and his sons Cepot, Dawala, and Gareng. Semar is an advisor to the Pandawa, the five heroic brothers of the
Mahabharata, and his sons assist in battle against the 99 Kurawa, the antagonistic cousins of the Pandawa. Cepot contrasts sharply with the refined classes of heroes, royalty and gods. Cepot’s style of speaking Sundanese is rough, direct, and to-the-point. In wayang golek puppet theater, Cepot appears in the middle of the night to dance, tell jokes, and deliver long monologues that critique existing social and political issues in the Sundanese language.

1 more image

The musical arts of Sunda, which is an expression of the emotions of Sundanese culture, include some of the most beautiful sounds in the world. The "tembang sunda" with the kacapi (zither) and either suling (bamboo flute). Tembang means song or poem and Sunda is a geographical, historical, and cultural construct which signifies home for the Sundanese people of Indonesia.

Jaipongan is an excellent example of the virility of the Indonesian people and their culture and the way in which cultural change takes place with a natural momentum.

Jaipongan is a social dance for young people. It differs from other dances of this type in that it demands certain standards from the dancers, in fact, the following of the basic choreography is very important. First and foremost it is a performance which has its own choreography, musical accompaniment and a style which not all performers will be a able to achieve. It requires the skill gained from courses in dancing this particular dance and therefore demands a higher level of interest than normal.

While it may be easy to criticize Jaipongan for being "commercial" its success boils down to popular taste. An interesting aspect of its acceptance in the West Java area was a distinct decrease in cultural influences from outside Indonesia.

1 more image

A special part of the Sundanese Culture in Bandung are the old dances.
Shure there are much performances in Bandung -
here a picture of a small performance seen in 2002 at the Hohmann Hotel in Bandung.
Very nice in coulors of the dancers, showing the old tales of Jawa, together with traditional Sundanese music.