Well it took place this morning and I think it will be going on for a while. Being inquisitive and having been invited I decided to walk the 200 metres to the park and find out what it was all about!
The park had a number of tents erected (no pun intended)and the parents waited until it was their kids turn and watched the entertainment.
For most Indonesians, (Musim or Non Muslim) circumcision is a very important tradition. In terms of tradition, for most Javanese boys, 11-12 years old is the time for the circumcision but, for others, such as the Sundanese boys are circumcised younger than the Javanese boys, at about 5-6 years old.
For the waiting kids, clowns and ballon twisters provided a distraction....
Some of the kids present were not quite aware of why they were there, almost in an "Are we there yet" way, unsure of what was coming next!
My Indonesian friends at work informed me that for the kids it's the happiest time because they think that they'll soon be "big boys".
First thing required is to check the timetable to know when the chopping will take place...
Traditionally parents give their newly-circumcised sons a party on the day the boys are circumcised. Their relatives, friends and, neighbors come to the party with presents or gifts for the boy. This collective knob chopping was a way to defray the overall expense to the families.
Sanitary arrengements were in my opinion a little on the "low side" especialy considering that one's best friend is about to get mutilated!
Some of the kids looked allright after the ordeal...
While others were not so lucky and needed a bit of help!
To be honest, it looked as though only the parents and adults were happy bout the whole deal.
Once the cutting was over, it was back to the entertainment area and then the kids were called up to get a "goody box" the contents of which I am unaware but the participants seemed happy enough!
Again, my workmates told me that young boys regularly ask their parents repeatedly about the day they will be circumcised. They hope it will soon come so they can be big boys and get many presents.
When it was all over, the remnants were disposed off in the same area where the surgical instruments were being prepared
I cannot say that it was a pleasant experience for me, I felt a bit like a voyeur, watching something I should not have been, but the Indonesians present were happy about the whole affair, it seemed to be a Grand Day Out for the family.
On the negative side, the music was quite loud, had to be really because over in the cutting tents there was a fair bit off squealing and crying going on.....
The alternatve is to go private and, as I discovered Circumcision is big business here in Jakarta, as this website testifies (NSFW, some of the pictures are less than palatable)
http://www.rumahsunatan.com/_galerifoto.php
Will I be going next year....dont think so!
Darwinian natural selection has not weeded out the old fiveskin so I guess it's there for a purpose. According to one article I read circumcision came about due to older chaps' desire to cause mutilation and pain to younger rivals in ancient tribes to stop them shagging their wives and cuckolding them.
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