The annual Indonesian festival took place in St. Thomas Aquinas at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2. Presented by Indonesian Student Association at Purdue University and sponsored by the Embassy of Indonesia at Washington D.C., Indonesian festival presented both modern and traditional Indonesian cultures to Purdue students and local residents at West Lafayette.
The basement of St. Thomas Aquinas was divided into different sections for the major islands of Indonesian, as there are more than 13,000 islands in Indonesia and slightly different cultures were developed within each island. With the population of more than 136 millions, Java is the most populated island not only in Indonesia but also in the world. The capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, is also located in west Java.
In the room of Java island, traditional handcrafts and handmade fabrics that Indonesia is famous for were displayed on the table with explanation and stories of each item on the side.
Music is an important everyday essential for Indonesians. For many Indonesians, playing the traditional Java instrument is their way to entertain one another and their way to show greetings to guests. Different from the western instrument like violin and piano, each instrument only has one tone. In order to play a complete song, a group of musicians playing at least 5 instruments is required. 
Another traditional entertainment of Java Island is playing puppets. Before the invention of projector and television, puppet performers played these puppets on a mini stage with only their hands shown. Most stories are based on their fairy tales and the origin of Indonesia.
In addition to Java, Indonesia has another world-known island, Bali. Well known by its beautiful white sand beaches and a complete different culture from the Java Island, Bali Island is one of the top-rated vacation places in the world. The narrow door shown in the picture is one of the very special cultural aspects of Bali. Bali people believe that people with good hearts will pass through these doors safely, while bad people will be crashed to death while attempting to enter the room.
In another room for Toraja, a distinct ethnic group of Indonesian, the traditional handcrafts made by Toraja people were displayed. With the main population found in the mountain area of South Sulawesi, Toraja people developed a very different culture from the rest of Indonesia, and they practice different religions than most Indonesians.
Different from the Java handcrafts, most Toraja traditional handcrafts are portrays of people and Gods or Goddess' faces.
In addition to static presentation of the cultures from each island in Indonesia, live performances were available as well. Pendet dance is a traditional Indonesian dance in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremonies or other dances. In Indonesia, Pendet dance is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. 
Pendet dance is usually perceived as a dance of showing greetings or to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance. 
At the side of the room, a sample of Indonesian coffee is presented and available for guests to try. The coffee is said to have a very distinctive smell because of the soil and the way the plant grows.
Outside of the performing room, traditional Indonesian foods were prepared for the festival guests. 
Tickets are available at the entrance. Festival guests spend $10 for 10 food coupons, which are good for exchange of $10 worth of food inside.
According to the students serving at the food table, Es Teler is one of the most popular drinks even in Indonesia nowadays. With the combination of sliced jackfruit, palm fruit, nata de coco, mango jelly, and sago in flavored ice (syrup, sweet condensed milk, and ice), Es Teler is the "bubble tea" for young Indonesians.
As for hot plates, Telur Balado is beyond what people outside of Indonesia can ever think of. Indonesians marinate fried hard bold eggs with ebi, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, bay leaves, and chili to make this dish. Each portion of Telur Balado costs 2 coupons at the festivals.
Asides from seeing Indonesians students from Purdue participating in the festival, many Purdue faculty members and local residents at West Lafayette attended the event as well. For people who have never been to Indonesia or who are curious of knowing more about the culture, there are tour guides available at the festival.
At the end of the festival, guests were welcomed to sign on the T-shirts of each islands. The festival came to its end at about 9:30 p.m. All guests went home with their stomachs full of Indonesian cuisines and a good memory of the night.
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