In 2014, American journalist Patrick Abboud visited this mountain to learn and discover the incredible customs and life of the local people. His show has been broadcast on American SBS. Origin of custom This strange ritual dates back to the 16th century, when a young Indonesian prince named Pangeran Samudro, the son of a Javanese king, had an abusive love affair with his stepmother, Princess Nyai Ontrowulan. The two fall in love despite the ties that bind them, and then run away together to the mountain Gunung Kemukus. However, they were caught in the act of having sex and killed by the king. Their graves were built by locals and since then, many people have come here to offer flowers to pray for good luck. Gunung Kemukus mountain in Indonesia. Since then, the Pon festival on the top of Gunung Kemukus was opened. People believe that the above couple has not completed the “sexual affair”, so if you come here and have sex with a stranger, you will have luck and fortune, have a happier and richer life. According to journalist Patrick, this is a Javanese ritual and it is completely different from the Muslim world or anywhere in Indonesia. It is a mixture of beliefs between Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. 8,000 people go to the mountains to have sex with strangers During the Pon festival on Mount Gunung Kemukus, attendees will find a stranger to have sex with. Furthermore, for their wish to come true, they had to do this 7 times in 35 days. Witnessing this custom, journalist Patrick exclaimed: “Unbelievable”. But what surprised him more was the large scale of this festival, each night up to thousands of people, with a peak night of more than 8,000 people coming here to pray. It will take them several weeks to perform this ritual. Pilgrims go to the mountains to pray for good luck. From married men, married women, government officials or prostitutes, all can participate in the ritual for good luck. Most are Indonesians from all regions. In the morning, they will go to the temple to offer flowers and pray. In the evening, they would go looking for strangers to spend the night together. This ritual is so popular that Mount Gunung Kemukus has become a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. The government and local people have allowed toll fees at Gunung Kemukus mountain, and built many hotels, motels, service areas and bus routes to serve tourism. Unforeseen consequences In the Indonesian concept, going to Gunung Kemukus mountain to have sex with strangers is for good luck, has nothing to do with relationships outside of marriage. However, this also left many unpredictable consequences, Gunung Kemukus accidentally became the main territory of the sex workers. Journalist Patrick followed pilgrims up the mountain for good luck, then approached a woman named Mardiyah, a widow with difficult financial conditions. When she met Mr. Patrick, Ms. Mardiyah had just completed the ritual of having sex 7 times in 35 days. She said the ritual worked because her business got better, helping her make more money. Couples are comfortable “making love” in the hope of having a happier and richer life. Ms. Mardiyah said: “I met a man who also came here for pilgrimage named Gepeng and went with his friends. He didn’t want to reveal the story because he didn’t want his wife to find out but his life. It has also changed a lot.” According to journalist Patrick, the Pon festival inadvertently turned Gunung Kemukus mountain into a good place for prostitution. It can cause problems with sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, and has many marital and family consequences, such as adultery or children out of wedlock. “I think there’s a contradiction between this ritual and prostitution. That’s why it’s been condemned by the government and the leaders. A lot of people who have contracted sexually transmitted diseases should have it. many health clinics are built in the mountains.I spoke to a doctor and learned that most sex workers are sexually ill, men don’t use condoms often, so The risk is great,” journalist Patrick shared. In addition, this festival also entails many lucrative business activities such as karaoke bars, motels disguised as prostitution, causing bad effects, obscuring religious values. Even so, religious believers still believe in the effectiveness of the festival, while the local government turns a blind eye.

For Sonia Philipse, the owner of a restaurant in Amsterdam, the absence of crowds makes her city more peaceful and beautiful than ever before. “At this point, we are looking forward to the return of tourists. But I think there was a time when people were really happy that the city was so quiet, ”Philipse said. Amsterdam’s red light district before and after the outbreak of Covid-19. Over the years, Amsterdam has tried to reconcile becoming a vibrant international hub without affecting residents’ lives and not ignoring the inherent freedom and popularity. Now, with the number of tourists still meager, the leaders of Amsterdam are trying to put new restrictions on three important issues: short-term renting, sex tourism and selling marijuana to traveler. This is all to ensure that the “ingrained” problems stemming from tourism no longer arise when tourists return. The above measures make the Netherlands one of the pioneering countries in Europe to adopt a practical approach to tourism management. However, even as many locals enjoy the peaceful Amsterdam atmosphere, some disagree with the city’s strategies. Need to change Complaints from the people of Amsterdam started to rise up in 2013, when tourism fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis. Locals lament that tourists are noisy and disruptive in the city center, disrespecting prostitutes, short-term renting a house that drives up property prices and controlling some of the most beautiful, historic areas of the city. city. “The tourist economy does more damage to locals than adds value,” said Geerte Udo, director of Amsterdam & Partners, a nonprofit that manages city tourism. We need to change everything in the city center if we want to bring balance to life, employment and renewal. The boats were deserted in central Amsterdam on a recent evening. Prior to the pandemic, city leaders came up with a number of measures to try to minimize problems stemming from tourism, including a ban on guided tours to Red Light Street, banning visitors New hotels in the city center, increased tourism taxes, banned new shops serving tourists. Since 2014, Amsterdam has stopped promoting itself as a destination in new overseas markets. Instead, the city’s marketing department guided and managed all visitors to the city. However, even with those measures, tourism continues to grow. In 2019, articles criticized the surge in tourist arrivals in Amsterdam, Venice and Barcelona as prime examples of over-tourism in Europe. Sex, cannabis and “monoculture” Since the outbreak of the pandemic, leaders of Amsterdam, led by mayor Femke Halsema, have continued to push for tourism regulation, focusing on Red Light Street – the ancient area of ​​central Amsterdam and the magnet attracts tourists. On a typical Saturday night before, Red Light Street blows young men from bar to bar, be it entering sex shops, cafes or staring at the flower girl is showing off her figure by the window. In a letter to the city council in July 2019, Mayor Femke Halsema said: “The public spaces dominated by businesses are mostly rape, drugs and alcohol. The number of tourists is constantly increasing, depraved behavior, shrinking retail structure, rising property prices, commercialization of public spaces and crime control all require measures ” . In addition, Ms. Halsema proposed four scenarios for the future of sex work in Red Light Street (prostitution is legal and regulated in the Netherlands). One is the transfer of all sex workers to “prostitution hotels” elsewhere in the city. However, the proposal was not fully approved. An employee stood outside a cafe on the Red Light Street. Another interesting proposal from the mayor’s office would prevent visitors from buying marijuana at cafes in Amsterdam, which are concentrated in Red Light Street. Last summer, in the face of complaints, the city issued a complete ban on all short-term rental services in three downtown districts, including the Red Light Street. Victor Everhardt, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, said the measures are in line with the practical Dutch approach to solving the problems. However, some of the proposed measures are also controversial. Irina, a spokesman for PROUD, a coalition of about 300 prostitutes across the Netherlands, said the idea of ​​moving prostitutes away from Red Light Street was widely opposed. “The problem is not with prostitutes. We have lived in one area for centuries. The problem is that the number of tourists coming to Amsterdam is booming. They come for many reasons, ”she said. Irina added that instead of focusing on prostitutes, the government should have more police on the streets, while at the same time increasing enforcement of current regulations against urination, drunkenness and public disorder. plus. “Prostitutes are being seen as scapegoats, along with cafes, for causing problems that they never did,” she said. Royal Palace on March 26. The square, which is bustling with tourists, has been deserted since the pandemic broke out. Similarly, the mayor’s recent proposal to ban cafes in Amsterdam from selling cannabis to tourists was also opposed. Historically, tourists and locals have frequented the city’s 167 licensed cafes to relax, socialize, play board games and smoke marijuana – classified for fish use. people in the Netherlands. Joachim Helms, cafe owner and spokesperson for the Association of Dutch Cannabis Retailers, said the proposed ban would force visitors to buy cannabis on the street. That could cause them to be taken advantage of, as well as damage the reputation of Amsterdam. Roy Van Kempen (31 years old), marketing director living in Amsterdam since 2008, said: “Paris has the Eiffel Tower. We have a Red Light District. I really didn’t want any disturbance in the city, ”he said. Irina, Helms, Van Kempen and many others in Amsterdam agree that the city center has a big problem: A “monoculture” tourism has taken root and residents are being pushed out. Businesses and services that used to serve locals (high-end bakeries, butcher shops …) have been replaced by jewelry shops, ice cream parlors and take-away waffles … mainly aimed at tourists. Meanwhile, rising housing prices (partly due to the development of Airbnb and other rental platforms) have left many locals unable to afford to stay in the city center. “This monoculture issue has come to the fore in the past year,” said Geerte Udo, adding that she was influenced by the feeling of desolation in the city center during the pandemic. , especially compared to other areas of Amsterdam. “This really opened my eyes. There are not enough people living and working in the city center to regain the liveliness when tourists are gone, ”said Udo.