Magelang, ANTARA JATENG - The ethnic Chinese community in Magelang, Central Java have been making their preparations to celebrate this year's Chinese New Year on January 28.

The statues of gods and goddesses at the Tri Dharma Liong Hok Bio Temple are being cleaned as this will be the venue for the community's religious ceremony to meet Imlek.

They bathed the 13 statues in the temple using water with added flowers before cleaning them with cloth.

They also cleaned the altar where the statues will be placed for the event, along with other areas of the temple.

The cleaning of the statues, done a week before the event, was started by a prayer service held by followers to symbolize the cleaning of their souls in order to find enlightenment, according to the chief of the Tri Bakti Foundation that manages the temple, Paul Chandra Wesi Aji.

The theme of this year's Imlek will be "Let us maintain our cultural diversity in order to strengthen the unity of Indonesia". Tri Dharma followers are expected to pray for peace for all Indonesians, as well as the strengthening of national unity.

"People will also pray for a better future economy. Becoming more prudent and patient and also swift and diligent will be symbolized by the year of hen, which wakes up early to start work," said Aji.

Imlek is a national holiday in Indonesia.