Indonesian Tradition in Idul Fitri

    

    The first day of Idul Fitri, everyone has quick breakfast and prepare to be ready for the all important Sholat Idul Fitri, the group prayer that begins around 07.00 a.m. The previous day, in the major fields or alun-alun workmen have set up a tarpaulin, a sound system and marked rows with thread. These rows indicate where the faihtful need to position themselves, facing west, towards Mekkah (Mecca). More often than not, fields cannot accomodate all the faithful children, women dan men who assemble here for the important prayer session. They spill into the side streets and even find a place in the fornt yards of the houses around the field. The men are dressed in their special sarung a while collarless shirt and their pecis. They also have their prayer rug and newspaper. The newspaper is put on the ground first, so that the prayer rug doesn't get dirty. Women wear their white prayer robe, covering them from head to toes. Underneath the white robe they wear their best festive, colorful dresses. Boys and girls are dressed like the men and the women. Everyone is quiet, and only the sound of a few thousand sandals and the recorded "Allahu Akbar" can be heard, which creates a very special atmosphere. Meanwhile, dozens of kaki lima are finding themselves a good spot around the field. They are selling sweet drinks, ice cream, cheap toys, and colorful ballons. The prayer commences exactly on time and is over in few minutes. Then comes the sermon. The longer the sermon continues the louder the voices from the audience begin to sound. Mothers and girls take off their white robe, immediately changing the filed in a colorful spectacle. Many women, especially if they look after their young children stand up and make for the kaki lima to buy their asking children drinks, toys, ice or balloons.

    After the sermon the crowd of a thousand or so individuals loudly go home, wishing each other happy Idul Fitri and asking for forgiveness. Within trn minutes the fields are deserted one again, except for thousand of newspaper left behind. Idul Fitri is a good time for everyone, including scavengers who come to clean up the newspapers and to sell them for recyling.

    Back home there is food. r One of the special Idul Fitri dishes in Java is opor, made with chicken, coconut water, and spices and ketupat, sticky rice wrapped in tiny baskets woven from palm leaf. There is no fixed time for the meals and it does not take long for first guests, relatives and neighbors to arrive. They make their rounds through the neighborhood, to ask for forgiveness. Everyone is invited to eat something, to drink something or at least something, to drink something or at least to have some of the English or Danish butter cookies that have become traditional elements of the Idul Fitri celebration. In most of the houses it is crowded, even though the visitors stay for 15 minutes or half an hour only. Children will receive some money for the occasion. 

    Once the crowd has gone, the family members congregate for a ceremony that is called sungkeman in Java, meaning asking for blessing. The most senior members of the family, grandfather and grandmother sit in the largest room and all their younger relatives, down to their great grand children kneel down in front of each of them (one by one), wishing happy Idul Fitri, asking for forgiveness of everything they have done wrong, either on purpose or unintentionally during the past year and asking for blessing for the new year. The senior relatives likewise wish for a peaceful and happy Idul Fitri, forgive all errors and pray that all endeavors may be fruitfull, that the younger relative may continue to become an even more pious person and that there may be harmony in his or her nuclear family at all times. "Amin," is the response. The sungkeman ceremony at the Presidental palace and at the Sultan's palace is usully broadcast on TV. These are very formal and solemn, but in the family homes there is also a lot of laughter during the sungkeman. Toddlers, hardly able to walk, are invited to participate and create humorous situations. Brothers and sisters, and cousins, as well as nephews and nieces of more or less the same age group, more and more ignore sungkeman in the traditional way and feel more comfortable hugging each other.

    After the sungkeman at home it is time to repeat the ceremony at the homes of other relatives who, because of their old age, cannot go out themselves. First of all, the deceased are visited. The cemeteries are crowded, many families paying their respects to those who are no longer visibly on this earth, asking for forginveness and their blessings. Idul Fitri is a good day for everyone, including the women and children, working at cemeteries, cleaning the graves in exchange for few coins.

    In the days and weeks after Idul Fitri, when office workers come back from their leave to other parts of the country where they have celebrated the holiday with their relatives, the asking for forgiveness among co-workers and business relations continues before the routine sets in.

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