Language and Culture Notes

1. The names of the days of the week in Indonesian are borrowed from Arabic, except for Minggu (Sunday). Jumat (Friday) is sometimes spelled with a glottal stop, Jum’at, showing the influence of the Arabic pronunciation. The names of the days are: Minggu, Senin, Selasa, Rabu, Kamis, Jumat, Sabtu.
2. The expression, hari besar, is used to label religious and national holidays such as Christmas (Hari Natal), Eid ul-Fitr (Lebaran), National Independence Day, August 17th (Hari Kemerdekaan Nasional, 17 Agustus), and New Year’s Day (Tahun Baru, 1 Januari).
3. Museum Sejarah Jakarta, which is also known as Museum Fatahillah, was built in 1710 by the Dutch and is located in the old section of Jakarta called Kota Tua. The museum houses objects from the prehistoric, colonial, and early independence periods. For additional information, click the following link http://www.wisatamuseum.com/sejjkt-profile.php
4. Monas (Monumen Nasional) is arguably the most famous monument in Indonesia symbolizing the country’s fight for independence. It is located in the center of Jakarta in Merdeka Square and houses a museum at its base. Construction of this monument, which was begun by President Sukarno in 1961, was not completed until 1975.