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| Mount Tomohon |
Tomohon is another beautiful small city in Indonesia, a hill resort about 22 kilometers east of Manado the capital city of North Sulawesi province.
Tomohon is a new city in the province; this town officially became a city in the year of 2003. Before of that, Tomohon was a part of the Minahasa regency in North Sulawesi. Tomohon also known as flower city in the east part of Indonesia, where we can find that flower planted almost on every home of city residents. Tomohon city also known for wooden house production, Rumah Tomohon (House of Tomohon) is the famous name of their traditional wooden house, the producer of traditional wooden house also ready to produce knock down model for export and sold outside of city.
As a youngest city of the North Sulawesi province, presently Tomohon has grown as important city; the major contribution comes from tourism industry. There are two mountains near to the town, Mount Mahawu and Mount Lokon, that made Tomohon become a beautiful place to rest. Please be added that Mount Lokon is one of most active volcano in the region.
More than only by its panoramic condition Tomohon becomes important city because of its function as the city education in North Sulawesi and surrounding, especially for Christian Educations. Majority of people in Tomohon are Christian. Christianity plays an important role in all aspects of life. Christianity has been developing in the area since the Dutch colonization time. You will find at least a church in every Tomohon village.
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| Meat of Rat, Dog, Bat and Python available on the market. |
Tomohon Local Market.
Tomohon Local Market may be the unique market in the world. Why? Because it probably only in Tomohon you can buy python meat easily… But wait!!!! Not only python meat, you could also find Rat, Bat, Dog and other unusual meats sold at Tomohon market!
In Tomohon local market, meat of dog is marketed in complete form, only been light burned to remove the hair surface. Likewise, bats and rats. Python usually sold in slices of meat; you just ask to buy how many pounds. If you are not very resistant to blood, you should not come to the place of dog meat, because fresh blood usually still find from the meat when the meat sliced.
The meat rat consumed is taken from forest rats that live wildly in the forest and consumes only fruits and leaves. So it does not come from sewer rats!!!
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| Participants of Tomohon Flower Festival 2008 |
This is new cultural attraction event, but now became one of the favorite events of the region and country. Tomohon International Flower Festival firstly hold on 2008, the main idea to hold this international event was come from awareness of local potential, as mentioned above, flowers is the one of main production of Tomohon people. Then local authority of Tomohon also has vision to develop Tomohon as one of main tourist destination in the North Sulawesi, so far main destination in North Sulawesi is only Bunaken a water and sea tourism.
Participants of the festival came from almost all regions of Indonesia, plus some international participants. The festival format, at glance look like Pasadena Flower Festival in USA, but Tomohon Flower Festival actually is not a single festival activity, but a series of activities included Queen of Flower Contest, Indonesia Art and Culture Festival, Tourism Exhibition and some other relevant activities.
Bakerah a unique Tomohon Tradition
Bakerah Tradition only done by women, Bakerah Tradition is a body cleansing process, a traditional steam bath by Tomohon women done several weeks after giving birth. Bakerah must be lead by a special woman who has ability to arrange the process. She will boil a pail of water and while in the process, she will also put several special herbs such as leaves of agati tree (sesbania grandiflora) or leaves of hummingbird tree, lemon grass (cymbopogon nardus), kajuputih oil, and several other herbs into the boiling water. After the water boils, she will prepare a bucket or pail and pour the water and the herbs inside the container. The new mother seat on special chair where under it where the bucket is placed and having steam bath for about one hour. The new mother must repeat the process for 7 days in a row.
Get in togetherness on Mapalus
Mapalus is a part of agrarian culture, a tradition of working together in the farm. When cultivation process still done manually and consume a lot of human power, people in the highlands of Minahasa especially in Tomohon created a cultivation process to made a easier cultivation process. They found that if they can working together then cultivation process will be done easier than if done by their self. Then they named the system as Mapulus a spirit of togetherness. The main idea is how to manage a group of farmers to work in their member’s field togetherness. In Mapulus, the group members make their internal rule to finish cultivation project on their own field. There is no special guidance rule, the only rule is how to make a group, decided rule internally, and how to finish their work as fast as they can together. The farmers sometimes start their work on 04.30 AM, come together in an agreed place, then go together to ‘project field’ and fulfill their responsibility as good as they can. While they also always help each other in order to make their job easier.
Tomohon City by Region
North Tomohon : Tinoor, Kinilow, Kakaskasen, Wailan, and Kayawu. The first region to be discovered in Tomohon from Manado. Tinoor is the central for fruits and Kakaskasen for flowers.
Central Tomohon: Talete, Kamasi, Kolongan, and Matani. Downtown of Tomohon, center of public activities, hospitals, and major offices and city hall.
West Tomohon: Woloan and Tara-Tara. Traditional Wooden House (knockdown type) production, Woloan Ancient Park where Waruga, the ancient tombs are collected in one area, in the same area are 9 springs.
East Tomohon: Paslaten, Rurukan, Kumelembuai. Vegetable Farms on the slope of Mouth Mahawu and Month Masarang, and the famous Tomohon Local Market.
South Tomohon: Walian, Sarongsong, Pinaras, Lahendong. Hotspring areas, the outstanding Lake Linow is located in Lahendong.
Enjoying Sunset time on Mount Lokon is also recommended.
Various public transportation available on Tomohon, you can take lodging at Manado City, the provincial capital city.
