Apangi Festival

The Apangi Festival is held to coincide with Ashura Day, which is 10 Muharram in the Hijri year. Apangi is a cake made from a mixture of rice flour and coconut milk. Apangi cake is eaten by dipping it or mixing it with liquid brown sugar.

Figure 1. Apangi Cake (Photo: Omar Niode)

Philosophically, Apangi cake has at least two meanings for the community, namely the white color (cake apangi) symbolizing purity. While red (brown sugar) symbolizes courage and sacrifice.

Figure 2. Apangi cake as a symbol of welcoming the 10th night of Muharram in the Islamic Year (Photo: Radar Gorontalo).

The Apangi Festival originated from the habits of the people of the Dembe I Village, Kota Barat District, Gorontalo City in welcoming the month of Muharram. The people of Dembe I Village held a fast on the day of Asyu'ra. Towards the time of breaking the fast, people deliver iftar dishes to the mosque. The community will serve the apangi cake.

Figure 2. At the 2019 apangi festival, the residents of Dembe prepared more than 200 thousand apangi cakes (Photo: Barakati).

As time goes by, the serving of apangi cake at the 10 Muharram celebration is not only intended to be delivered to the mosque. Residents share with each other. It continues to grow, until now a festival is made.

Figure 3. Community participation independently is one of the main attractions in the apangi festival (Photo: Radar Gorontalo).

The Apangi Festival is held annually independently by the community together with the sub-district government, LPM, Karang Taruna, and PKK women in Dembe I Village, Kota Barat District, Gorontalo City.