Urban Cultural Festivals for the Global Tourism Development

Saiful Anwar Matondang

, Dahlena Sari Marbun

and Febry I Butsi

Faculty of Education,Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: Urban festivals, tourism, global, development.

Abstract: This paper reported the ethnographic reserach on the urban festivals for the global tourism development.

This study was to recount the potential urban festivals of Medan which might be developed into global

tourism events, and to explore those events as ethnographic data. A Multisited ethnographic design was

conducted in the urban areas of Medan. Data obtained showed that some of the urbans festivals of Medan

have a great potential and a few need more the modenization ways to uplift to global tourism. Medan has

many urban festivals for global tourism events that need to be promoted more in international events.

1 INTRODUCTION

Referring to the UNESCO Convention of the

Safeguard of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003

and Convention Recommendations in 2008, there is

a need to conduct the identification and inventory of

cultural heritage comprising the oral tradition, and

cultural expression existing in language as well as in

performing arts. Social practice, rituals, festivals, the

indigenous knowledge of nature, and crafts are vital

for diversity and creativity. The current globalized

world has resulted in the dramatic revival of cultural

ethnic identities and commoditization of cultural

heritage for the tourism industry (Matondang, 2016).

To reshape cultural identities, the numerous

rituals, carnivals, and cultural festivals are enacted

by plural ethnics or social groups in the public

spaces in urban modern cities. Those enactments

become the realization of systems of beliefs,

knowledge and social control in a multicultural

environment; the belief systems may include the

sources of rituals, carnivals, and cultural festivals

that have a significant compelling heritage

reconstruction for the global tourism industry.

Based on the intangible heritage perfective, the

ethnic art performances should be made in the

collaboration project with global tourism. Ethnic

rituals, carnivals, and cultural festivals reshape the

cultural tourism in the global context. Mutual

research factors are the foundation of a new micro or

grounded theory in the humanities.

The polyethnic city of Medan where the natives

(Karo, Simalungun and Malay groups) and the

urbanites of Mandailing, Aceh, Minang, Javanese,

and immigrants of South China and India have been

living for many years (Sinar, 2009), undergoes the

shaping and reshaping of cultural identity from the

pre-colonial, colonial and to the national periods.

Following Gluckman (Gluckman, 1965) and Turner

(Turner, 1957), this paper theorizes a micro-theory

of the rich cultural mosaic of ethnic groups in the

form of heritage that basically reflects in the

enactments of rituals, carnivals, and cultural

festivals of a plural society in Medan. The proposed

humanity theory on the ritual, carnival, and cultural

festivals is based on the exploration of enactments of

ethnic arts in the various social interactions. Cultural

heritage currently forms (Kirshenblatt-Gimblett,

1998) social spaces in Medan Metropolitant.

Figure 1: Urban Festivals Location, Maimoon Palace of

Malay Deli Kingdom in Medan.

Matondang, S., Marbun, D. and Butsi, F.

Urban Cultural Festivals for the Global Tourism Development.

DOI: 10.5220/0008891606370640

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research (ICMR 2018) - , pages 637-640

ISBN: 978-989-758-437-4

637

2 THE STUDY

A socio-cultural study on the intangible cultural

heritage of ethnic groups in Medan Metropolitant is

a necessity to compare regional and global studies.

UNESCO (2008) determines cultural heritage

comprises the oral traditions and cultural

expressions through languages. The cultural heritage

in globalization includes the ethnic performance in

the arts, social practices, rituals, festivals,

indigenous knowledge of nature, and crafts.

Adhering to and revitalizing those traditions are vital

for cultural diversity and creativity as well as for

global tourism.

Local awareness of the influential ethnic heritage

impacts on the survival and reconstruction of

cultural identity and diversity in globalization

(Kaufman, 2013 and Shankar, 2010). Moreover,

Grunewald’s report reveals the power of ethnic

culture heritage in the reproduction of the arts.

Grunweld stresses the social practices of ethnic

groups, and asserts that "the ethnicity exercised in

the terms of a cultural production of traditions to be

exhibited as distinctive features within the touristic

ambit that would signify the ethnic character of the

interaction” (Grunewald, 2006, p. 7). In the

anthropology of tourism, Storanza (Storanza, 2001)

argues that a holistic research explores the local

cultures and their relationship with the tourism

industry and socioeconomic development. The

cultural tourism locations gain the benefit from

touristsvisiting such reconstruction of cultural

representation through the identification and

inventory of heritage and museum renovations.

Gonzales (Gonzales, 2008, p. 807) recommends new

research for the local cultural identity interactive

process with the global tourism industry. Since

1970, the reinvention process of cultural heritage

which meets global tourism has been perceived.

The anthropology of heritage and tourism has

elaborated cultural heritage in globalization. The

interaction of compelling local culture with

globalization (Pieterse, 2009) has been enhanced by

information technology which is the source of

humanity theory on the ritual, carnival, and cultural

festivals of cultural productions.

2.1 Research Design

This ethnography research was conducted by using

participant observation, depth interviews, and

document analysis, and involved holistic and

integrated systems of beliefs and cultures in which

the elements of religion, myths, cultural practices

and acceptance of ethnic members are functionally

and meaningfully interrelated. Geertz (Geertz, 1975)

argued that an ethnographic method is conducted by

selecting informants, transcribing a collection of

text, exploring the origins of ethnicity in genealogy,

and compiling a diary/logbook of reports, while the

most important procedure is data reconstruction

through symbolic interpretation. The anthropology

of art and tourism explores the meaning and

functions of the performing arts in the context of

dynamic cultural growth in the community to be

developed into a scientific theory. Thereafter, the

arts and tourism research methodology is conducted

through the application of ethnographic techniques

as well as the secure data on ethnic culture heritage

and art in Medan and their prospects for the global

tourism development. The implementation of

ethnographic fieldwork for the identification,

inventory, and mapping collected data (Lury, 2007)

from each ethnic group was conducted through

surveys, observation, and interviews. Ethnographic

methods were conducted to explore the art of

intangible culture.

2.2 Techniques of Data Collection

Three techniques were used in the data collection:

first, an inventory survey of arts and ritual, carnival,

and cultural festivals of ethnic groups was

categorized in types of religious rituals, ceremonies

and live entertainment. Survey questionnaires were

distributed to the representatives of respondents

from each ethnic group. Second, observant

participatory was held at different ethnic galleries,

for instance places of worshiping places, traditional

buildings, public spaces and tourist destinations that

perform rituals, ceremonies, and live entertainment.

The observation was recorded video-taped with a

handycam and each activity was noted in diary

under the categories of art galleries, ritual

procession, carnival and cultural festivals. The focus

of the observation was addressed to all activities

associated with religious rituals, ceremonies, and

live entertainment. Third, the following

professionals of arts performance and tourism

industry were interviewed, namely dancers, painters,

poets, cartographers, art managers, journalists,

bureaucrats, studio owners, businessmen, and hotel

tour leaders.

2.3 Techniques of Data Analysis

Data obtained from the surveys, observation and

interviews were converted to empirical data and

ICMR 2018 - International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research

638

analyzed by using qualitative techniques. The

empirical data was linked to the systems of beliefs

and culture as well as to the process of cultural

transmission and distribution within each ethnic

group. The categorization of data helps easily

interpret the form, content, and culture and

sustainability of values. The databases were put into

three categories, namely national, regional, and

international events.

3 FINDINGS: URBAN CULTURE

IN MEDAN

Despite the plurality of ritual, carnival, and cultural

festivals that emerges from the intensive interactions

of ethnic groups in the realization of systems of

beliefs, knowledge and social controls, the process

of interactions not only structurally meets the

colonial and national government policies in

modernizing urban areas, but also relates to any

attempts by ethnic groups to maintain and endure the

city. The beliefs, knowledge and social controls of

city dwellers at the grassroots play a significant role

and reshape the cultural identities. For example, a

series of Malay Mak Inang, Kuala Deli and

Serampang XII, ethnic Chinese performances in

Medan such as a ritual of Cheng Beng, and dragon

and lion dances for the Chinese New Year

Celebration or Imlek survive. An investigation of

this reality would harness the new ethic heritage

theory in the humanities.

The emergence of ethnic groups Medan since

1918 has resulted in the growth of wijk- wijk (Dutch)

‘ethnic settlements’. The Malays lived at the

Maimoon area, the Mandailing at the Sungai Mati

area, the Toba Bataks at Kampong Durian, and the

Chinese at Pusat Pasar and at the Asia Street. The

ethnic groups maintained their beliefs or religions

and transferred their cultural traditions to younger

generations. Then after the process of cultural

mosaic of urban areas, an analysis of influential

ethnic culture heritage by the processual analysis of

anthropology was applied. This methodology

encompasses role play, specific goals and changes

during the different eras. Turner (Turner, 1969)

adopted the route of the rites of passage into four

processes, namely: (1) breach life normal; (2)

liminality transitions; (3) redress recovery; and (4)

reintegration reunification, this theory was used in

the research and study of rituals and performing arts.

Richard Schechner argued that Turner’s ritual

process is more applicable for performing arts,

compared to structural semiotics approach

(Schechner, 1986). The processual analysis was

applied for the description and verification of socio-

cultural changes in events or situations in which the

social actors competed for special purposes.

4 DISCUSSIONS

Performances from various ethnic groups showed

dynamic integration of regional and global cultural

influences. The performing arts displayed the

realization of humanism and were more complex

than artifacts. The forms of cultural rituals,

carnivals, and cultural festivals were regarded to

cultural behavior associated with beliefs and

traditions appearing in the form of symbols. During

the fieldwork the performing arts of the cultural

heritage of each ethnic group had been observed.

Moreover, the rituals for the new buildings and

houses, the festivals, the wedding ceremonies and

other ethnic events provided invaluable cultural

meanings. For practical purposes, those

performances were packaged to promote the

development of the tourism sector.

The performing arts contain symbolic meanings

of traditional beliefts and ways of social interactions.

The creative and dynamic performances are

associated with Medan’s ethnic arts.

With regard to cultural interaction, it was found

that every ethnic group develops the performing arts

based on systems of beliefs and customs. Those

systems were manifested in a variety of ritual

enactments and regulation of social relationships in

symbolic meanings that better reflected social

behavior in a multicultural context. A survey

revealed that performance arts and cultural events

were the reflection of religious rituals, social

interaction and adaptation to the environment or

nature. Rituals were associated with symbols and

social relations while ethnic art performance was

only carried out to show ethnic identity.

Theoretically, cultural identity showing social

practices in the public sphere also contributes to the

concepts of cultural eternality, genius, and

originality; the culture behavior of ethnic groups

also displays the ethnic identity. Finally, it is hoped

that ethnic traditions might become stronger in the

urban communities.

Medan is known for its annual ethnic rituals and

festivals. The revitalization of Malay’s Serampang

XII and Zapin dances were clearly recalled by

respondents and could be used in wedding ceremony

locally and nationally. It was also found that the

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639

Chinese lion and dragon dances have maintained

social solidarity in Medan. A number of dances

were performed as offerings during Chinese

holiday[s] and religious events. The Maiteray

Temple in Cemara Asri Complex facilitated Chinese

religious events regularly. The rituals and festivals

brought influential impacts on the development of

heritage tourism. Medan can now be regarded as the

cultural centre for the global tourism development in

Asia.

5 CONCLUSIONS

After conducting an ethnographic study in the

fieldwork for more than five months in 2016, we

conclude:

The rituals, carnivals, and cultural festivals in

Medan show the existence of plurality or

multiculturality among ethnic groups. The

transcendent traditions in which rituals and festivals

have been living for a long time refer to local dances

which realize the systems of beliefs and social

relations, and ethnic identities; all the systems may

become potential for tourism attractions in this city

The rituals, carnivals, and cultural festivals

[survive and provide great values for humanity

because they are meaningful and can become the

social control in the interaction systems which are of

course good local development.

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