December: A Month Full of Gratitude

Mother’s Day in Indonesia is celebrated nationally on December 22. The day was originally intended to commemorate the spirit of Indonesian women. Today, the meaning of Mother’s Day is gradually changing, and it is celebrated by expressing love and gratitude to mothers.

The Mother’s Day celebrations at Begawan Learning Centre lasted for two days. It began with students bringing eggs to take care of during the first day. They were free to name, decorate, and make protective gear to keep their eggs intact until the end of the day. They used some innovative ideas to take care of their eggs. Some made a knotted container in which to carry their eggs easily and safely everywhere, some put them in a plastic cup, some even made a small rattan basket filled with tissue.

However, at the beginning of the day three eggs had already cracked due to a friend’s interference and from holding the eggs too tightly. It was a challenging task for them as they were busy preparing the show for the Mother’s Day celebration the next day. Thankfully, in the end most eggs were safe. One student revealed that through this activity, she became more grateful to her parents as she could understand the care that was needed by parents when bringing up their children.

The next day, we invited parents to come to the Learning Centre. Parents were greeted by students who distributed hand sanitiser and by two students who became MCs. The students then took turns performing Balinese dances and singing a heartwarming song about gratitude to mothers. The performance closed with students giving thank-you letters and flowers to their parents at the Learning Centre. During this event, one parent mentioned that by watching these activities, she felt grateful and loved by her daughter. (Bonita Prasetyo)