Ritual Buka Mata Naga Cap Go Meh Pontianak 2026

The Dragon Eye Opening Ritual officially opened today. This marked the beginning of the 49 Dragon Lion Dances from Pontianak and the surrounding areas, which will perform in the 2026 Cap Go Meh Cultural Festival Parade. Several Dragon Associations that have already performed the Dragon Eye Opening Ritual also paid their respects at the Kwan Tie Bio Temple, one of the oldest temples in Pontianak City. The Dragon Eye Opening procession aims to invite the Holy Spirit into the dragon's body. This ritual marks the "awakening" of the dragon, which possesses magical powers intended to grant blessings before being paraded, ward off disaster, exorcise evil spirits, and bring good luck. This ritual is performed by a suhu, tatung, or loya, who are believed to be possessed by spirits. The dragon, which has not yet opened its eyes, is blindfolded with a red cloth and brought before the tatung/loya to remove the blindfold and have a red mark or dot placed on its eyes to symbolize its awakening. After the Dragon Eye Opening Ritual is complete, the dragon is paraded around the city, visiting donors, participating in the Cap Go Meh parade, and concluding with the burning of the dragon on the 16th day of Chinese New Year. Welcome to the 2026 Pontianak Cap Go Meh Cultural Festival. The following Dragon Lion Dances will be participating in the 2026 Pontianak Cap Go Meh Festival: Naga Karya Abadi X Andy Oppa Gaul, Naga B.S.K., Naga Borneo Nusantara, Naga Audy Karya Borneo, Naga Lion Dance Mitra Sempurna, Naga P.K. Komyos, Dragon Bhakti HCK, Dragon Permata, Dragon Karya Makmur, Dragon Dragon Sinar Bahagia X Suhu Achai 168. Dragon New Energy X Apple Mart, Dragon AL (Somewhat Laen), Dragon Source of Light, Dragon Happy, Dragon Mitra Bhakti, Dragon BLKX Borneo Sinar, Dragon Gema Kumpai Besar, Dragon Yuwen X Aika, Dragon Sentosa, Dragon Sepakat, Dragon NamTau, Dragon Dragon Anugrah, Dragon GBS, Dragon West Borneo Sei Kakap, Dragon Sinar Cemerlang Bhakti 28, Dragon HFX Cemerlang, Dragon Karya Bhakti, Dragon Millenials, Dragon Sinar Mantuka, Dragon Kumpai Besar, Dragon Merdeka, Dragon Vois Dragon Sport, Dragon Sinar Akcaya X King's Furniture, Dragon Dragon and Lion Dance Abadi, Dragon Shan Mao Dragon and Lion Dance, Dragon Loyalty, Dragon Noble, Dragon Independent, Dragon PLBSI, Dragon Independent X PLBSI, Dragon Sam Thian Pak Kung, Dragon Friendship, Dragon Sinar Berkah, Dragon Sinar Berkah X Dairy Champ, Equatorial Lion Dragon, Virtuous Dragon, Panca Bhakti Dragon, Heavenly Dragon #culture #culture #capgomehpontianak #capgomeh2026 #capgomeh #imlek2026 #dragondance