2027 Indonesian Independence Day

Indonesian Independence Day on August 17 commemorates the proclamation of independence read by Sukarno, with Mohammad Hatta at his side, at his house in Jakarta on August 17, 1945, two days after Japan's surrender. The centrepiece is the flag-raising ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, where the President presides and a specially selected team of high-school students, the Paskibraka, raises the red-and-white flag while the ceremony is broadcast live; a lowering ceremony follows in the afternoon. In the weeks before, streets, alleys and gateways are painted and hung with red-and-white bunting, and on the day neighbourhoods across the country compete in games such as panjat pinang (climbing a greased pole to grab prizes), sack races, tug-of-war and the krupuk-eating contest, in which contestants eat a cracker hanging from a string without using their hands. It is a national public holiday, and Indonesians greet one another with 'Dirgahayu Republik Indonesia'. This countdown ticks to midnight Western Indonesia Time in Jakarta on August 17.