Graveyard business thrives as people pay annual visit<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Graveyards in the city have taken on a festive atmosphere over
\nthe past few days, with temporary stalls erected at cemetery
\nentrance gates, offering flowers and fragrant water.<\/p>\n
Inside the graveyards, dozens of men armed with broomsticks
\ngreet the increasing number of visitors, offering to tidy up the
\ngraves. Some men and women are also available to recite prayers
\nfor the deceased on request.<\/p>\n
\"I can make about Rp 100,000 per day,\" said Marni, who offers
\na prayer service at the Menteng Pulo graveyard in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Grave cleaners can make Rp 60,000 to Rp 70,000 each.<\/p>\n
It is a tradition for Javanese people to visit graveyards
\nbefore they start fasting for the holy month of Ramadhan, which
\nstarts next Wednesday.<\/p>\n
On Thursday afternoon, dozens of people -- mostly adult women
\nand elderly men -- were seen praying at the Karet Bivak cemetery
\nand the Menteng Pulo cemetery, both in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"I always visit their graves prior to the fasting month to
\noffer them my prayers,\" said Juariah Yusuf, a middle-aged woman
\nvisiting the graves of her husband and daughter at Karet Bivak
\ncemetery.<\/p>\n
The native Jakartan, a retired city administration officer,
\ntold The Jakarta Post that she believed the spirits of her
\nhusband and daughter would be more restful upon hearing her
\nprayers, and she hoped that she could cope with the fasting month
\nobligations with their blessing.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by her maid, Juariah put flower petals on the
\ngraves.<\/p>\n
Another visitor, Mira Duana, told the Post that she always
\nvisited her parents' grave prior to the fasting month for reasons
\nof tradition.<\/p>\n
\"I come here mainly to tidy up the graves as well as refresh
\nmy memory of them,\" said the 34-year-old woman.<\/p>\n
In fact, it is not obligatory for Muslims to visit graveyards
\nprior to the fasting month or at any other time, but many
\npractice the traditional rituals inherited from their elders.<\/p>\n
According to Javanese tradition, the dead need the prayers of
\nthe living to obtain God's blessing and to forgive them their
\nwrongdoings.<\/p>\n
People pray mainly to avoid any disruption to their devotion
\nto God during the holy month. After the fasting month of Ramadhan
\nis over or almost over, people will visit graveyards to offer
\nprayers for the deceased and request the blessing of God for
\ntranquility, safety and prosperity.<\/p>\n
Unlike Muslims in Middle Eastern countries, local Muslims here
\n-- particularly the Javanese -- perform not only Islamic rituals,
\nsuch as praying five times per day, but also spiritual activities
\nlike meditating, burning incense and making offerings to spirits
\nof ancestors.<\/p>\n
The latter are derived from Hindu and Buddhist culture, which
\nflourished in the country before the arrival of Islam.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/graveyard-business-thrives-as-people-pay-annual-visit-1447893297",
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