Eid Air Balloon Dilemma: Should A Dangerous Tradition Be Maintained?

Thousands of spectators watched the air balloon festival at Reco Field, Kertek District, Wonosobo Regency, Sunday 8/5/2022). (Between/Heru Suyitno)

JAKARTA The tradition of flying hot air balloons to welcome Eid is back in the spotlight, after two hot air balloons suspected of containing firecrackers exploded in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Friday (12/4/2024).

A hot air balloon exploded at the Mungkid City Pesona Housing in Mertoyudan District, Magelang. As a result of this incident, five residents' houses and one car were damaged.

Randy, 32, admitted that he was in the house when the hot air balloon landed followed by several explosions. According to his confession, this incident occurred at around 07.30 WIB. Randy thought the explosion in front of the house came from a gas cylinder or a guest car engine disturbance.

"I left the house, the fire was still burning. Then I took the APAR to extinguish the fire," Randy said, quoted by Kompas.

As a result of this incident, the roof of Randy's bathroom broke. Meanwhile, Isnovika's (36) car parked in front of Randy's house, was also damaged. The front window was cracked, the left light was broken, and the bottom bumper came off.

Another thing with the story in Wonotigo, Kembanglimus Village, Borobudur District, which experienced the same thing. On Friday (12/4/2024) at 7.50 WIB, a hot air balloon hit Heri Prayogo's house. Because of the fall of a hot air balloon accompanied by a firecracker explosion, the roof of Heri's house was damaged.

If in other areas it is enough to eat ketupat or stay in touch with new clothes during Eid, not with a number of areas in Central Java. Some residents in Ponorogo, Wonosobo, Pamekasan, and Magelang still need hot air balloons to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

It has been a tradition for years, he said, although it is not known exactly when the tradition of flying a hot air balloon at the moment of Eid begins. Some say this tradition started in the seventh century when people got to know the paper until the Bathara Katong era. However, this claim is inaccurate because there is no historical record that can be tested methodologically.

Unfortunately, this tradition, which has been said to have existed for a long time, is considered dangerous. Since 2016, the issue of banning massive air balloons has been reported by a number of mass media.

The wild air balloon can endanger many things, one of which is flight activity. Meki has received a ban, a number of pilots found a balloon passing through the flight route, as revealed by aviation practitioner Gerry Soejatman on the X account. He said the hot air balloon was in the Yogyakarta Air Room on April 11, 2024.

"The report was obtained from a pilot flying from Halim Perdana Kusuma to Adisutjpto Airport while flying over Tegalrejo Village (10 km east of Kebumen Square) at an altitude of 9,000 feet or 2,743 meters above sea level. The pilot reported seeing seven balloons moving west," the report said.

Regarding the release of balloons that interfere with flight activities, the Ministry of Transportation has repeatedly echoed them. Recently, the Ministry led by Budi Karya Sumadi appealed to the public to comply with the rules for air balloon flights, especially in the Central Java and East Java regions so as not to interfere with aircraft flight routes.

Every year during Syawalan, we always get reports from pilots flying in the airways of Central Java and East Java that they have seen several hot air balloons passing at high altitudes which are aircraft traffic lanes, and this is very dangerous for flight safety," said Director General of Air Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation M. Kristi Endah Murni, confiscated by Antara.

In the midst of the potential danger of air balloon flights, especially those of illegal nature, this tradition actually has a positive impact seen from the tourism sector.

In Wonosobo, for example, the air balloon festival has become a special attraction, especially at the moment of Eid. It is said that the tradition of flying hot air balloons in several areas in Central Java has existed since the 1960s. Over time, the air balloon flight in Wonosobo is not just a hereditary tradition but has now become a tourist icon in the area.

According to a number of sources, the air balloon festival is expected to only be held since 2006. Apart from being a celebration and entertainment tool, the air balloon festival also functions as an event to channel creativity, especially young people.

In welcoming this air balloon festival, the youth group in Wonosobo expressed their creativity to make air balloons that deserve to be flown specifically for this festival. Ganjar Pranowo, who is still the Governor of Central Java in 2023, praised the cohesiveness and creativity of young people in Wonosobo in making hot air balloons. He encouraged the air balloon festival, which has become a tradition in Wonosobo, to continue.

In Lebaran 2024, the Ministry of Transportation only gave permission to hold the air balloon festival in two locations, namely Wonosobo and Pekalongan. The air balloon festival in Wonosobo took place from April 11 to the peak event on April 21, 2024 and spread over a number of points in Wonosobo. Meanwhile, the Pekalongan air balloon festival was attended by 70 participants who were held at Setono Pekalongan Field, Saturday (13/4).

The hot air balloon festival in Wonosobo is said to be similar to Cappadocia's air balloon tour in Turkey. No wonder, if this festival successfully attracts thousands of visitors to Wonosobo to watch colorful skies decorated with hot air balloons.

Head of the Wonosobo Regency Tourism and Culture Office, Agus Wibowo, said that apart from maintaining tradition, the air balloon festival became a leading icon of tourism in Wonosobo Regency. The hot air balloon that is flown is confirmed to follow the established procedures, and this certainly has a positive impact on tourism.

"This air balloon festival is a branding Tourism in Wonosobo Regency, according to procedures and does not interfere with air traffic, the multiplier effect of the air balloon festival is also extraordinary," said Agus.

The tradition of hot air balloons during Eid as is done in Wonosobo Regency actually deserves to be maintained as an icon of the area. But on the one hand, flying a hot air balloon when welcoming Eid al-Fitr needs to be put in order, because the wild air balloons are very dangerous.

For this reason, massive education is needed to the community by various parties, regarding the dangers caused by flying wild air balloons.