Church Safari, Anies Received Ulos Cloth As A Christmas Gift

Anies received a ulos cloth from the Batak community on a Christmas Eve safari (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan visited a number of churches on the eve of the 2019 Christmas celebration. During his visit, Anies received an ulos cloth as a Christmas gift from the Christian community at the Petojo Batak Protestant Christian Church (HKBP) Petojo Grogol, West Jakarta.

Not only one, Anies also received a red ulos cloth when he visited the Rawamangun HKBP Church, East Jakarta. Anies expressed his gratitude and was honored to display the ulos cloth in his office at City Hall.

"I would like to express my gratitude. It is an honor to have this ulos cloth with extraordinary knitting. Hopefully it is appropriate," said Anies, Tuesday, December 24.

Ulos is a typical cloth worn by the Batak community as part of a traditional and religious ceremony. This shows that Anies has been considered a part of the Batak community in Jakarta.

The giving of ulos is a symbol of delivering a prayer to immediately get something that is sought, whether it is a position, a job, or a blessing.

Anies who received a ulos cloth from the Batak community on Christmas Eve (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

On that occasion, Anies asked all his citizens to maintain an atmosphere of unity in Jakarta. He hopes that this Christmas commemoration will bring Jakarta residents closer to the spirit of simplicity.

"In a city that is studded with all kinds of progress, simplicity often becomes a luxury. Hopefully this Christmas celebration will bring us closer to the spirit of simplicity in all components of society," he said.

Apart from these two HKBP churches, Anies together with the ranks of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) visited several other churches, namely the St. Kristofarus Catholic Church in Jakarta, the Catholic Church of the Holy Family Rawamangun, the Protestant Church of West Indinesia (GPIB) Inmanuel, the Jakarta Cathedral Church, and the Church. West Indonesian Protestant (GPIB) Paulus Jakarta.