THE TRADITION OF MERIT KARBIT IN PONTIANAK, WEST KALIMANTAN

In Indonesia, most Muslims have the same tradition of celebrating Eid or Eid. They are going home or going home to celebrate Eid, Eid prayer, Gathering and pilgrimage. Muslims also serve ketupat and opor as culinary on Lebaran holidays. In addition, in Indonesia also has a variety of customs, ethnicity and culture. One of the unique traditions regarding Lebaran is the tradition of Merit Karbit in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.

The Karbit Cannon Tradition has an interesting history. It is said that in the past the Kadriah Sultanate in Pontianak which was established in 1771 - 1808 sounded a riot to repel ghosts, especially kuntilanak in Pontianak City. Because at that time, the first King of Pontianak named Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie when opening land to live in Pontianak had been disturbed by ghosts. Then the Sultan ordered his troops to drive the ghost away with the cannon. Pontianak according to the story is a city that has a ghost kuntilanak. Because basically Pontianak comes from the word pregnant and child. In addition, the loud sounds of the carbide cannon indicate the time of the sunset call to prayer.

Now as time goes by, carbide cannons are turned on for tourism attraction. This traditional cannon is made from durian tree or coconut tree which is quite hard and then tied with 100 kg rattan rope, so that the cannon does not move when it is pounding. Besides that, cannons are painted with attractive colors. The length of the carbide cannon is approximately 4-7 meters. This carbide cannon is perforated in the middle to ignite the fire until the cannon sounds. For one game it takes around 3-5 ounces of carbide.

Cannon that will participate in the Traditional Meriam Karbit game must follow the requirements set by the Karbit Cannon Tradition community forum, Pontianak arts and culture. These requirements, among others, cannons must be decorated with a variety of decorations, such as a mosque background. Therefore, to make 1 cannon the cost required is around 3 to 5 million rupiah. The game of the carbide cannon tradition is unique in the city of Pontianak in welcoming Eid al-Fitr. Even the traditional Merit Karbit game is now contested and has been included in the tourism calendar. This activity is a highly anticipated by the people of Pontianak.

Location of the Game This carbide tradition is along the banks of the Kapuas River. Usually this game starts 3 nights before Eid. The carbide cannon has lined up on two sides of the Kapuas riverbank. By the time the evening call cannon is shot as a marker of the time to break the fast. The loud bang is even heard up to a radius of 5 Km.

Writen By :

Rendi Fahrizal