Residents Of Kediri Celebrate New Year With Wayang Kulit Auction For Students' Age

Performance of shadow puppets in Bence, Kediri, East Java on New Year's Eve 2025, Wednesday (1/1). (ANTARA/Asmaul)

JAKARTA - Residents in Bence neighborhood, Kediri City, East Java, enlivened the turn of the year from 2024 to 2025 by holding puppet activities last night to involve students, both the mastermind and the sindent.

The Head of Pakunden Village, Kediri City, Nanang Wahyono, gave his appreciation with this puppet show, especially involving students aged both the mastermind and the sindent.

"This activity is purely from the aspirations of the people, especially in the Bence Environment, which develops and preserves culture. In fact, involving children, there are second grade elementary schools, this is quite proud," he said when met at the event location, Wednesday morning.

He said this performance was very positive. If usually during the New Year's commemoration it is spent with activities that are hingar bingar in nature, in this environment it actually holds a puppet show.

"This is something good, so the local government responded to this event. The children are even more active," he said.

Kediri City DPRD member Choirudin Mustofa also appreciated the puppet show with the mastermind and the sinden involved the children. This activity is a stage after they practice.

"I am happy to see that the sinden is still young. There is a second grade elementary school. This indicates that parents and residents have succeeded in introducing wayang culture," he said.

He considered that the decision to hold this event should be appreciated. During the New Year's Eve in other areas, many were filled with entertainment orchestra and so on, in this area the residents were united in displaying wayang art and also playing residents of this environment.

He hopes that in 2025 the arts in Kediri City can be more advanced, can be more sustainable and better.

Deputy of the Regional Culture Council of Kediri City, Deky Susanto, said that his party gave a positive response to this event, especially the studios that had provided training such as puppeteers and sinden and karyawitan.

According to him, it is time for children to be trained to become individuals who are good at socializing, have the nature of greeting each other, foster mutual solidarity by participating in training at the studio.

"It's time for the children not to be selfish children with gadgets, so they can socialize, have mutual greetings, grow a sense of solidarity. If he is a gadget, he becomes an individualist," he said.

In this puppet show, the Kawindra Studio was founded by Rinto Hadi. This performance took the theme "Noroyono and the queen", which tells how to build a kingdom, so that it becomes good.

In addition to involving the mastermind and sinden of elementary school-age children, the mastermind is a junior high school student, and students. They all appeared, including the teacher's mastermind, Ki Rinto Hadi.

Meanwhile, one of the residents who attended the event, Azis said he was happy to be watching wayang.

"It's nice to be able to watch wayang. Especially on New Year's Eve and the masterminds are still children. They are not inferior to adults when performing," said Azis.