August 17 on July 28

August 17 is Independence Day in Indonesia. In 1945, Sukarno declared the country's freedom from the Dutch colonizers. After a few years of war and pressure from the US, the Dutch finally accepted defeat.

Since that time, August 17 is celebrated similarly to July 4 in the US.

Except during Ramadan. The Islamic fasting month is on a lunar calendar, thus it shifts throughout the year. This year it covers August.

As such, some of the independence celebration is going to be muted. You just can't party when you aren't eating or drinking all day (nights are another story - consumption in Indonesia actually goes up during the fasting month).

Anyways, I was on a field research visit yesterday when I unexpectedly ran across an August 17th parade. They had wisely changed the date to prevent dehydration of the young participants.
This was a rather fortunate occurance, as my appointment was two hours late. I could sit an enjoy the spectacle.

It was just another one of those little surprises Indonesia throws at me from time to time.

Unexpected parade.