It is August and it is a special month for Indonesians. Why? Because August 17th is the independence day for Indonesia! People use to hang a national flag in front of their houses in this day. Suddenly, there are a lot of flag sellers in the street or offering flags or a pole to hang the flag.

Independence day, usually students in national school and public officer are required to attend a flag raising ceremony in the morning in schools or offices courtyard. And after the ceremony ends, they are free to go home to enjoy the national holiday.

Usually there are a lot of celebrations in independence day. There will be a lot of competition and fun games to participate. This series of competition is called “Agustus-an”. Usually it is held around the neigborhood or we call it “RT”. There will be a lot of competitions and you can get some gifts when you become a winner.

So, what kind of competitions you can join in? Here are a few of them:

1. Sack Race or “Balap Karung”

Balap karung is one of the most popular competition in Indonesia’s independence day, it is where you race with another person by running as fast as you can and become the first one who reach the finish line.

2. Climbing Slippery Pole or “Panjat Pinang”

There will be a pole with a lot of prizes in top of a pole, or in Indonesia we use a “pinang” tree, hence called “panjat pinang”. It is a competition where you compete with others to reach the top of the pole to get the prize that you want. The rule of the game is the fastest to reach the item, get to bring the item home.

3. Nightgown Soccer or “Sepakbola Daster”

This a sport that men likes and men will participate in this sport. But what makes it different from a usual soccer is that men who participate must dress in a nightgown. If you are a man and want to join, maybe you could borrow your wife’s nightgown or from your neighbor first.

4. Tug of War or “Tarik Tambang”

I think this competition is not new for many countries. It is where you compete in a team and pull each other with one thick rope until one of the team fall to the ground first. You need a lot of strength and if getting dirty in the mud is not a problem for you, then this game is for  you.

5. Eating Crackers or “Makan Kerupuk”

It is the perfect game for the one that is hungry. You can have fun while filling your stomach with crackers. You have to eat one full piece cracker that hangs over your head by some kind of rope. The fastest who finish eating will win the game. Even though it is not quite fullfilling, it will be enough to rise your appetite.

There are still a lot of other games or competitions, depends on the location that you lived in Indonesia. I guess there will be traffic jams and roadblocks too because of the games. So, instead of going to malls in national holiday, maybe you would rather join an “Agustus-an” game.