Indonesian Embassy in teh Hague to Hold Open House at Eid Al-Fitr

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, will host an open house to celebrate Eid al-Fitr 1434 on August 8, which will duplicate an Indonesian village atmosphere, an Indonesian diplomat announced. "The open house, to be held by the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, will be at Wisma Duta (guest house) in Wassenar," the embassy¿s secretary in charge of Information, Social and Culture, Dewi Avilia, said in a statement received by Antara here on Monday. She added that just as at Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the homeland, during the open house the Embassy will prepare specialties from the archipelago¿s cuisines, which are often served in a celebration after the month of Ramadan and include lontong (rice cakes), opor ayam (Indonesian coconut chicken curry), sambal goreng hati (spicy fried chicken livers) and other dishes. According to Dewi, the open house at the Indonesian embassy is an annual event during every Eid celebration in the Netherlands. "This event is meant to solidify the relationship between the embassy and the Indonesian community, including Indonesian non-Muslim religious leaders in the Netherlands, as well as with the Dutch, who have close relations with Indonesia," Dewi said. This event always receives an enthusiastic welcome from Indonesians and Dutch people. In 2012, approximately 2000 Indonesians attended the celebration. "This year, the invitees will be more or less the same number when the Eid falls in the summer . The event is even held on weekdays," Dewi added. Currently, there are some 16,088 Indonesians living in the Netherlands and registered by the Indonesian government.(*)