On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, a series of Religion Festival activities were held. This activity is one of the implementations of the Proyek penguatan profil pelajar Pancasila (P5) with the theme “Unity in Diversity” for tenth-grade students. SMA Pembangunan Jaya held this activity to add insight into multicultural education and character education with an experience-based approach. It is not just an educational activity, but a strategic step to instill the value of tolerance and diversity among students. In this activity, students will visit various places of worship representing six major religions in Indonesia, such as mosques, churches, monasteries, temples, and shrines, to understand each religion’s worship practices and spiritual values.
This year’s Religion Festival is themed ‘Caring for the Archipelago’ with the sub-theme ‘Manunggaling Rasa, Menggak Rumangsa‘ taken from the Javanese language, which means uniting hearts and eliminating prejudice. This year’s Religion Festival presents a richer experience by visiting six places of worship from various religions. The students were also invited to explore Surabaya’s Old Town, an area rich in history and culture. The students were also given the opportunity to capture their experience in a documentary video assignment as part of the learning process. In this activity, they interviewed religious leaders from each place of worship to better understand the practices and values embraced by each religion.
The first visit of this activity was started at Vihara Sanggar Agung located at Sukolilo Street Number 100, Ria Kenjeran beach, Surabaya. This place is famous for its magnificent architecture and Buddhist values of compassion. Next, the students visited Pura Agung Jagat Karana, a temple located at Lumba-Lumba Street Number 1 Surabaya, where peace is taught through Hinduism. The next place was Sam Pu Sing Bio Temple located at Demak Street Number 380, Morokrembangan, Surabaya, where students learned about Chinese culture and beliefs that have long coexisted in Surabaya. Then move on to Ampel Mosque which is located at Ampel Mosque Street Number 53, Ampel, Surabaya, giving students an insight into the history of Islam in the city.
The next stop was GPIB (Gereja Protestan di Indonesia Bagian Barat) Immanuel at Bubutan Street Number 69, Contong town square, Surabaya. Students learned about the history of the Protestant church and its spiritual importance. Continuing to the Catholic Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Kepanjen Street Number 4-6, South Krembangan, Surabaya, is also where students are introduced to Catholic history and teachings that focus on the value of love. Finally, the trip continued to Surabaya’s Old Town Area, a historical area rich in colonial buildings and stories of the city’s long journey. Here, the students were able to experience Surabaya’s past, which was a meeting point for various cultures, from European, to Chinese, to Javanese. The area bears witness to Surabaya’s ever-evolving diversity and gives students a broader understanding of the city’s historical values, cultural heritage, and tolerance. Through each visit, students are invited to understand the importance of tolerance and mutual respect between religious communities.
To find out more about how the activity took place, The Arc asked one of the students. As one of the students, Nayla Chaya Ramadhani Ali (18/01/25) expressed great feelings about this activity,
“Yesterday’s activity was really exciting, adding to my knowledge about places of worship and their history which I find interesting. I really enjoy outdoor activities like this, especially with friends. Besides that, I was actually tired, because it was crowded. Overall, it was fun and the rating was 9/10. Traveling around 7 houses of worship was an amazing experience. I feel more aware of the diverse cultures and beliefs around us. Each place has a unique vibe, from the architecture, the way of worship, to the historical stories. It was like traveling around the world but staying in my own city. From this activity, I learned that differences are not an obstacle to respecting each other. In fact, diversity makes us rich, making us have many life lessons to learn. So, never be afraid to explore and open your mind wider, because this world is more beautiful if we understand each other.”
Then, The Arc asked the chief organizer of Religion Festival 2025, Miss Zebrina Pradjanaparamita (20/01/25), to find out about the background and purpose of this year’s Religion Festival with the theme and experience in organizing it. From Miss Zeby’s perspective, this activity gave a deep impression.
“The background of the Merawat Nusantara theme is that Indonesia is a multicultural society that is starting to have its identity crisis, there is a lot of chauvinism where they feel that their race is superior to others, and many denounce certain tribes. So that made me think that this Religion Fest should also be connected with caring for the archipelago, because caring for the archipelago we care for the nation’s identity and we participate in maintaining harmony. So then there is a sub-theme of manunggaling rasa, menggak rumangsa, uniting hearts, then eliminating prejudice. We are still brothers and sisters even though we are different but we are one. The essence of bhineka tunggal ika is that we are a multicultural society and we must restore our sense of multiculture in Indonesia. So, when we first determined the theme, I actually asked the religion teacher first, because this is an activity whose base is the religion teacher. I asked what the point of this was, and after that we just made a common thread of what it would be like, because indeed we entered the theme of culture. Where Indonesian society is multicultural, multicultural is not only in words but we also apply it. Then the religious teacher also feels that this is what must be grown in the younger generation now, because there has been a lot of chauvinism and then weakening of the identity of others. Now this is very dangerous for the unity of the Republic of Indonesia. In my experience, refest has never taken this before. So, the focus is on deepening faith, usually. So that we enlarge the scope of the material more to the nation and state. In terms of implementation, Miss Zeb was quite satisfied because she saw the enthusiasm of the students too, quite possibly because our duration was not long enough, so many places that we should have visited were not maximized. At least with a little briefing from us, students can grasp that we are diverse, we are not higher or lower, because we are the same in Indonesia, on earth, being part of a multicultural society.”
Both statements from the interviewees show that this year’s Religion Festival has been successful in encouraging tolerance, and respect for differences, and strengthened the spirit of Bhineka Tunggal Ika. By visiting these historical places, students not only learn about different religions but also understand the long history of the authentic history of Surabaya. Through this hands-on experience, students are expected to develop an attitude of tolerance, and respect for differences, and strengthen the spirit of Unity in Diversity. In addition, Religion Fest also invited participants to explore various aspects of culture in Surabaya, as a form of broader understanding of pluralism in society. Stay tuned for the next Religion Festival!
Editor in Chief : Evelyne Dian P.
Journalist : Evelyne Dian P.
Editor & Translator : Adelita Ilona A.
Documentation : Lintang Prameswari A.
English 
Indonesian
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