Indonesia Hidden Heritage Creative Hub (IHHCH) this time held Heritage City Tour titled 'Travel to Portugis Village' on Sunday, 4 January 2023 then. IHHCH Executive Director, Nofa Farida Lestari, convey that Heritage City Tour is a routine activity held by IIHCH. This tour activity also aims to celebrate the diversity of historical and cultural heritage, as well as efforts to promote and develop historic sites as tourist icons heritage in urban areas, especially Jakarta.
At the beginning of the year 2023, Heritage City Tour IHHCH carries the theme of tracing the history of ethnic groups Mardijkers Portuguese in Jakarta, which is one of the oldest communities that colored the long history of the city of Jakarta. The journey starts from Zion Church, then proceed to the Jakarta Historical Museum, and lastly visit Tugu village. On tour this time, the participants were guided directly by Ary Sulistyo, IHHCH Cultural Heritage Research and Development Director. Ary tells various historical events related to the history of the people Of Mardijkers or commonly known as Black Portuguese, as well as through its historic buildings visited, one of them is the church.
The IHHCH tour begins with the oldest churches in Indonesia and even Asia, namely the Zion Church, which has been standing since 1695. To date, the Sion Church building is still one of the historical tourist destinations frequented by history lovers and travelers. Currently the church is still used by its congregation for worship activities. The Zion Church itself was once named Portuguese Outer Church, which means Portuguese Church Outside the City Walls. But previously there was a Portuguese Church Inside the Wall which was between Roa Melaka and Jalan Kopi, and built 1673. The church burned down in 1808. The construction of the Church took about two years, which laid its first stone on 19 October 1693 ooh Pieter van Hoorn, who is none other than the father of Joan Van Hoorn, VOC Governor General (1653-1711).
Name changes also occurred several times for this church. After Indonesian independence, Portuguese Outer Church renamed the Portuguese Church. Then, The transfer of power made the Dutch Government entrust the management of its inherited assets to the Protestant Churches in Indonesia (GPI). The location of the building which is in the western area of Jakarta makes the service area carried out by the Indonesian Protestant Church in the western part (GPIB). This is what makes this church called GPIB Jemaat Zion or commonly called the Zion Church. The name Zion itself is taken from the name of Mount Zion in the Palestinian territories. The building is more than old 300 This year, not only a place of worship for Protestant Christians, however, has also become one of the historical tourist destinations frequented by domestic and international tourists.
The tour continues to the Jakarta Historical Museum. Ary explained that this building was used as the City Hall building or City Hall. Inside this building, tour participants are invited to tour to see various artifacts from the past, like furniture, scale, rocks, ceramics, peta, books, and many more. This museum provides an interesting recreational nuance covered with knowledge of the development of the city of Jakarta since prehistoric times, Hindu-Buddhist times, Islamic times, colonial times, to the present day.
The journey ends at Tugu village in the North Jakarta area, by visiting the Tugu Church and seeing a traditional festival ask-ask. Arriving at the Tugu Church, the participants were greeted by one of the Church administrators who explained the history of this Portuguese heritage building. Church officials said that currently the Church is in the process of revitalization after being delayed for two years due to the pandemic. This revitalization process is carried out to maintain cultural heritage buildings so that their authenticity is maintained.
One of the interesting spots of this Tugu Church is the ancient tomb in the church yard, here there is also the oldest tomb of one of the priests and the ancestral tomb of the Andries family. Next, walk a little into the church grounds, we will find the bell tower (time of day) which is used as a marker of the beginning of worship. Kampung Tugu itself is nicknamed the Christian Betawi Village, because many people are descended from ethnic groups Mardijkers Portuguese, who had converted from Catholicism to Protestantism to gain independence from the Netherlands. Tugu Church itself around the year 1970 and was finally inaugurated as a cultural heritage building by the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Mr. Ali Sadikin.
The journey then closes witnessing the tradition ask-ask, which was enlivened by Tugu Village Protestant Christians and the surrounding community. This tradition has survived to this day and has become an intangible cultural heritage of DKI Jakarta Province. This tradition is usually carried out at the beginning of the first week of the new year. The Head of the DKI Jakarta Cultural Office attended the event this time, Mr. Iwan Wardhana, Historian Mr. Bondan Kanumoyoso from UI, and a number of other figures. The process ask-ask this is done by smearing powder on another person's face, which symbolizes mutual forgiveness, love, and do good to one another. The event was also enlivened by the presence of typical culinary treats of the Tugu village such as the gado-gado siram and banana prawns as well as the distinctive keroncong tugu singing..
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Syafa Khalisha Ifadha
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