Idul Fitri celebration<\/p>\n
As an African expatriate in Indonesia, I painfully missed the
\njoyful celebration of Idul Fitri at my home in Kano, northern
\nNigeria. But it didn't turn out so bad afterall. About three
\ndifferent mosque committees in my vicinity presented three
\ndifferent envelopes, one after the other. I was told that this
\nwas my share of Idul Fitri alms. I opened the envelopes and was
\nshocked to find rupiah inside. My response was "Thanks, may this
\ncharity of yours be acceptable to God and may it be highly
\nrewarded by Him."<\/p>\n
My Idul Fitri experiences as a foreigner were rather funny
\nthis year. In the early afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 9 it was
\ndifficult to find food as all the restaurants were closed for the
\npublic holiday. What could I do? I was told that I could only
\nfind lunch at foreign restaurants like McDonald's. So I rushed to
\nnearby Pondok Indah Mall where I found a number of restaurants in
\naction.<\/p>\n
The next morning an elderly person brought me a special Idul
\nFitri dish and told me it was called ketupat (rice cake wrapped
\nin coconut leaves). I couldn't believe how similar it looked to
\nthe one in my country which is also specially prepared for Idul
\nFitri. But tuwo as it is called in northern Nigeria is not cut
\ninto small pieces as ketupat is here. Its size is similar to a
\nbeef burger and it tastes salty.<\/p>\n
BUHARI ABDU<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/idul-fitri-celebration-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }