JAKARTA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's West Kalimantan city of Singkawang on Friday held the annual Chinese Lantern Festival parade, which broke several national records this year.
The parade was inaugurated by Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin who lauded the festival as part of the nation's pride and an apparent symbol of harmony.
The minister said the Lantern Festival in Singkawang this year was the largest event, involving both the local administration and the public.
One of the major attractions of the parade was the performances of the Tatungs, who displayed their resilience against sharp weapons pierced into their bodies.
This year's parade also set new records endorsed by Indonesian Records Museum (MURI).
According to MURI, the parade broke national records with nine dragon floatations, huge dimension of Chinese-architecture gate with height and length of 6 and 16.2 meters respectively, some 1,038 Tatungs and 20,607 lanterns.
"This event is quite a phenomenon this year as many records have been awarded by MURI. This festival was always attractive," Deputy Tourism Minister for International Marketing I Gde Pitana said.
