REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TANGERANG -- Residents of Babakan Village, Tangerang District, Tangerang City held a mass shampooing tradition to welcome Ramadan 1445 Hijri at the bank of Cisadane River, Sunday (10/3/2024).
Head of the Culture and Tourism Department of Tangerang City Rizal Ridolloh said mass shampooing is a tradition of the community, especially the residents of Kampung Berkelir that has been done in a hereditary way. This mass shampooing is also a symbol in the self-cleaning welcome of Ramadan.
“This is certainly a cultural haven that exists in the city of Tangerang and must continue to be maintained. Thank God, hundreds of citizens were present ranging from children to adults. That is, they still care about the culture that exists in Tangerang City,” he said.
He explained that this tradition of mass shampooing is also being proposed by the Tangerang City Government as a Cultural Heritage of Tak Benda (WBTB). This is an effort to preserve the culture of mass shampooing and make it an icon of the tradition of the people of Tangerang City.
“This year we submitted mass shampooing to WBTB to Kemendikbudristek. We see, this tradition does not exist in other areas. So, hopefully it can be approved to be the newest WBTB Kota Tangerang,” he said.
Chairman of DKM Masjid Al-Huda Arifudin welcomed the efforts of the Tangerang Municipality to propose mass shampooing to become WBTB. He hopes that this tradition can continue and not stop in one particular generation.
“Alhamdulillah, we welcome it because it is proof of the Tangerang Municipality's concern for the culture that exists in the community. We also express our gratitude to the entire Tangerang Government Board, hopefully this tradition can continue,” he said.
Acting Mayor of Tangerang Nurdin appreciates the tradition and culture as one of the uniqueness and distinctive features of Tangerang City, which of course must be constantly preserved.
“This tradition and culture, in addition to being preserved, must always be accompanied by a passion to cleanse not only oneself but also the heart and soul in order to welcome the holy month of Ramadan,” he said.
After the activity, Nurdin also toured Cisadane River and Bekerlir Village and invited people to jointly maintain the cleanliness and sustainability of the surrounding environment, especially the cleanliness of rivers and villages.
“In addition to being physically and spiritually clean, it must also be accompanied by environmental cleanliness. So that our worship in Ramadan this year can be more solemn and solemn,” he said.