The Indonesian flag is wonderfully simple: two stripes, one red on top and one white below. Red stands for courage and white for purity. In the weeks before 17 August, you will see this flag on every street corner, in every shop window, and on the front of every house. Some streets paint the kerbstones red and white.
Schools play a huge role. Many schools hold a flag-raising ceremony on the morning of the 17th. Children practise marching for weeks beforehand. The most important ceremony is held at the President's palace and is shown on television - everyone watches together.
But the best bit, especially for children, is the games. Every neighbourhood organises an Independence Day games afternoon, packed with funny competitions. The most famous is panjat pinang - climbing a tall, slippery wooden pole to grab prizes tied at the top. Teams have to climb on each other's shoulders.
There are sack races, marble-on-a-spoon races, a cracker-eating race (where the cracker is dangled on a string), and a race to put a pencil tied to your waist into a glass bottle. Whole villages spill out into the streets, laughing. Even people watching from upstairs windows are cheering. Hari Kemerdekaan feels like a giant national birthday party.