Cultures and Values
Indonesia is a country abundant in culture where every single province has its own traditional culture such as dance, dress, and language. The famous ‘Reog Ponorogo’ which comes from Ponorogo (East Java) is an example of traditional dance in Indonesia. Another well-known traditional dance in Indonesia is from Bali namely ‘Balinese Kecak Dance’. Traditional dress like “Pesa’an” from East Java and “Kasatriaan” from Yogyakarta are the example of Indonesia’s traditional dress. The traditional language in Indonesia is differentiated according to the provinces. For instance, Manadonese people will talk using Manadonese language, so does the Javanese people will use Javanese language to communicate. Yet, when people who come from different province communicating, they will use Bahasa Indonesia because Bahasa Indonesia is the main language which is used by all Indonesia people in their daily life.
Indonesia is also a country where politeness is highly appreciated and reflected daily through Indonesian’s wording, dress code, and manner. The example of Indonesian’s wording is the use of words ‘bapak’ when addressing male, and ‘ibu’ when addressing female. Addressing people with their name without ‘bapak’ or ‘ibu’ might be considered impolite especially when having conversation with elders. The way people dress is considered to be very important in Indonesia. Wearing miniskirt or sleeveless when going to places like church, temple, mosque, that require the use of formal dress will be considered inappropriate. Manner for Indonesia people is very important and it is usually shown through simple thing like greeting. For example, greeting the boarding house owner or say “good morning” or “hello” to classmates. Indonesia people might consider those who rarely smile or greet other people as impolite because politeness is crucial for us especially in the process of building relationships with others. Indonesia people is, generally speaking, very friendly and welcoming even towards foreigners and new comers because they don’t mind greeting or even helping foreigners and new comers adapting in and understanding Indonesia.
Indonesia people have a lot of uniqueness which can be seen through their culture and values. They have various traditional culture like dance, dress, and language which are different in each province. Indonesian people also popularly known for their politeness and friendliness which is shown through their daily life. Hopefully this information could help you, dear international students, to understand Indonesian culture and values before visiting Indonesia to either study or travelling.