{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1608562,
        "msgid": "ketupat-eid-tradition-endures-through-family-memory-and-cultural-symbol-1773320096",
        "date": "2026-03-12 18:56:49",
        "title": "Ketupat Eid Tradition Endures Through Family Memory and Cultural Symbol",
        "author": "Larissa Huda",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Anthropology",
        "summary": "Ketupat, a rice cake wrapped in palm leaf weavings, remains a staple during Indonesia's Eid al-Fitr celebrations, serving as both a culinary tradition and a powerful cultural symbol passed down through generations. According to social observer Rissalwan Lubis from the University of Indonesia, the tradition persists due to collective family memories, sensory experiences, and its nostalgic appeal as a food consumed only during festive seasons. The dish's cultural significance is reinforced through popular representations in Eid cards and decorations, making it an unconscious but integral part of contemporary Indonesian Eid celebrations.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta \u2014 Ketupat has become one of the dishes that is almost never\nabsent from Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Indonesia. This rice-based food\nwrapped in palm leaf weavings is not merely a complement to the\ntraditional Idul Fitri menu, but has evolved into a cultural symbol\ndeeply embedded in society\u2019s traditions.<\/p>\n<p>Ketupat is typically served alongside various Eid specialities such\nas chicken curry, rendang, and liver sambal. Its presence is not simply\nthat of an accompaniment, but rather part of the ritual of family\ntogetherness during Eid al-Fitr celebrations.<\/p>\n<p>Many families continue to maintain the practice of cooking ketupat to\nbe consumed together with family members and guests who visit for\ntraditional visits during the festive period.<\/p>\n<p>Social observer Rissalwan Lubis from the University of Indonesia\nbelieves the Eid ketupat tradition has endured because it is closely\nlinked to family experiences and memories passed down from generation to\ngeneration.<\/p>\n<p>Rissalwan regards one of the main factors sustaining the ketupat\ntradition as the collective memory within families that continues to be\nmaintained. \u201cFamilies preserve collective memories, but there is also\nmemory that is biological in nature. The tongue, the smell, the\nfragrance \u2014 that is what makes this a tradition that is maintained,\u201d\nsaid Rissalwan when contacted on Wednesday (11 March 2026).<\/p>\n<p>According to him, ketupat is not merely food, but also part of\nchildhood experiences that are subsequently passed on to the next\ngeneration. Because it is not consumed daily, ketupat actually becomes\nfood that is always longed for when Eid arrives. \u201cSo it becomes\nsomething that is longed for, because it is not food eaten every day.\nThat is what makes it endure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rissalwan explained that the symbol is even present in various\nrepresentations of popular culture, such as decorations and Eid greeting\ncards. \u201cIt is synonymous with Eid, and then in contemporary culture too,\nEid symbols, apart from stars and the moon, certainly include ketupat,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that ketupat symbols frequently appear unconsciously in\nvarious visualisations related to Eid. \u201cIf most Eid cards certainly have\nketupat. So there is something or a memory that is unconsciously planted\nin our minds, truly synonymous with ketupat,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>According to Rissalwan, the increase in the number of palm leaf\ntraders is a consequence of rising demand from the public. \u201cSupply\nincreases as well because demand increases. There must be a link to this\nincrease, because demand rises in almost every household,\u201d he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ketupat-eid-tradition-endures-through-family-memory-and-cultural-symbol-1773320096",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}