Arak Tabuik Festival is held, once a year, in the coastal town Pariaman in west Sumatra. In the traditional festival, the participants perpetuate the death of Muhammad’s grandchildren; Hasan and Husain, who fought the Karbala battle for the defense of the Moslem religion. In the festival, sport events like swimming contests and horse races are held as well as various culture shows.
Arak Tabuik Festival
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Indonesia background and overview
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and controlling avian influenza. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face a low intensity separatist guerilla movement in Papua.
[Courtesy of The World Factbook]
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