Everyone was banging pots and pans to chase away the dragon — and give back the sun of life!
Indonesia is very near Singapore, but it comprises thousands of islands. We flew from Singapore to Manado in North Sulawesi, then from Manado to Ternate, followed by a ferry from Ternate to the island of Tidore. There were Indonesian soldiers aboard the ferry, which was filled with 40-seater buses and their eclipse-chasing passengers from all over the world.
We were warmly welcomed to the Sultan’s Palace and grounds, where tentage was set up with refreshment stations and the grounds were open to all visitors. During a tour of the palace rooms I learnt that Ternate and Tidore were very important Dutch colonies in the 15th century because of the spice trade — a major producer of cloves. When Singapore finally emerged as a trading port, these islands gradually lost their importance as the shipping routes changed. An education in a region we’d normally never read about.
The culture here sees the moon as a dragon swallowing the sun. So as totality came, everyone was shouting and banging their pots and pans — a clashing cacophony of sound to chase away the dragon and the darkness, and give them back the sun again, the sun of life! The atmosphere was electric, the whole palace grounds resonating with the drums.
