The ritual is in the form of burning paper in the form of travel documents and money in a large iron container in front of his house, which is located in a densely populated alleyway in Tambak Bayan Chinatown.
Tambak Bayan is the oldest Chinatown settlement in Surabaya. According to the story of an elder who has lived for a long time in Tambak Bayan, Go Siok Young or known as Pak Gunawan (72), formerly the Tambak Bayan area was a Dutch company horse stable and the Chinese lived in checkered rooms with 5 watt lamps and this condition continues to this day.
In front of Lee Syume’s house the day before Chinese New Year, you can see decorations of large and small hanging Chinese dolls made by her nephew, Agnes Savitri, to add to the lively atmosphere of the Chinese New Year celebration.
The walls of the house are made of plywood decorated with large red paper and affixed with Chinese knick-knacks. While at the prayer place, there are several dishes such as snacks, candy, chiki and fruits. There is nothing different from the procedures for carrying out these cultural rituals, starting from preparing offerings for the altar of offerings, preparing money to be burned, burning candles which are likened to lanterns that the ancestors are at home, to waiting for the candle to die and money immediately burned to be offered to ancestors, as well as a family meal procession. What makes the difference is that when praying, each individual present says a prayer according to their respective beliefs, just as Sum did pray as a Muslim.
Sumiati or called Sum and her sister’s family are the only Chinese Muslim families who live and settle in Tambak Bayan from the early generations of their ancestors to the current 4th generation.
Sum has been a convert since the age of 12 years and converted when he and his family lived temporarily in Jogja to take care of a sick family.
“What do you believe, just live it while it makes yourself good,” said Sumiati’s parents when they learned that their fourth child had converted to Sumiati.
After Sumiati, his younger brother, first brother and third brother became a convert.
When both Sumiati’s parents still had Chinese names, they had to pay foreign taxes during the Suharto era and eventually became indigenous names when there was a bleaching process in Jogja.
Sum’s father, Lee Djuan Ik, changed his native name to Rusli Joko Ismanu and his mother, Lem Syume, changed his native name to Sumiana.
Until the end of his life, Sum’s parents continued to adhere to Confucianism as their belief. “Even though Papa and Mama have passed away, we as a family must still respect them. Maintain and continue the traditions carried on since they existed. The existing tradition cannot be lost if you still do it, ”said Sum while sitting on a wooden bench in front of his house. “Even though I have become a Muslim” he added.
In Tambak Bayan itself, the residents have changed in such a way as to adapt to local customs. The residents live in harmony with other ethnic groups, namely Javanese and Madurese, with diverse cultures and beliefs. In addition to marrying people outside the village who are not descendants or have changed beliefs.
Tambak Bayan is a picture of what is expected of Indonesia. Even though they come from different cultures, they still respect each other. If this can be a valuable lesson for others, then conflicts between people with the background of different beliefs that are rife today will certainly not occur.
