the water war festival in the selat panjang city, meranti island district, riau province, has been started in the past 2013, a festival held once a year, held for 6 consecutive days, for 2019, the water war festival or in also called cian cui, held from February 5 to 10 2019, this annual fee is unique, because only two countries have held water wars, namely Thailand and Indonesia. in Thailand itself, better known as songkran, and in Indonesia precisely in the regency of Meranti, famous for water war or cian cui.
the water war festival, which has become a habit of the Selat Panjang city community, has actually been implemented for a long time, not only during Chinese New Year celebrations, but also after the Idul Fitri feast, so water war not only belongs to one particular ethnic group , but all Meranti island district communities, those involved in water wars, do not know age, ethnicity and religion.
the government of Meranti Island District, which has packaged a water war festival, has become an attraction for domestic and foreign tourists, in this tradition, local people and tourists will splash each other along 4 road segments, using motorized becaks, and various equipment for spraying water, all layers of society spilled out cheerfully in wetness and poured water on each other, both those who were traveling around in motorized rickshaws and waiting in front of their homes.
Water war festivals also have a positive impact on the reconstruction of the long strait community, with the crowds of domestic and foreign tourists attending the 2019 water war festival in the Selat Panjang city, regency of Meranti, Riau.
Video by: Erfan Setiawan