Ramadhan tradition<\/p>\n
There is an old tradition in my family. Every day during the
\nRamadhan month I remember my grandmother used to make ten paper
\nbags out of old newspapers, poured one liter of uncooked rice
\ninto each one, placed a rubber band around each and distributed
\nthem to needy people she met on her way to the market.<\/p>\n
In those refrigerator-less days, housewives made daily trips
\nto the market for fresh food. I remember the excitement of
\nhelping her make the bags and listening to her voice telling us
\nabout the value of sharing, which is emphasized in that month.
\nSomehow we felt sorry when that special month was over.<\/p>\n
My mother did it too, her's were ready-made brown paper bags.
\nUnlike my grandmother who distributed them from her langganan
\ndokar (horse drawn cart), my mother distributed them from a car,
\nwith all the windows rolled down for fresh air. And now my bags
\nare made of paper too, old discarded office papers we buy from
\nthe nearby warung (street stall), but they contain the same
\namount of rice as my grandmother's and my mother's did.<\/p>\n
My grandchildren are rarely here to help me, they are at
\nschool abroad. I have my driver distribute them from his car-
\nwindow while I sit in the back seat and the other windows remain
\nclosed, on account of the air conditioning.<\/p>\n
Ten liters of rice a day over 30 days, I know it is a drop in
\nthe ocean, but it's the spirit behind it that counts. Almost all
\nmembers of my extended family honor this tradition. It goes
\nwithout saying. What I also remember is the smell of exotic food
\nfrom the kitchens. Recipes only prepared during Ramadhan are
\ntried again. All housewives prided themselves on their respective
\nancient, ethnic recipes. There was so much food, not for the
\nfamily only, but especially for orphans, widows with children,
\nelderly people, mosques whose leaders distribute them again to
\nthe needy in their communities.<\/p>\n
I remember how proud we were, when allowed to carry a tray
\nloaded with food to the neighbors. Sometimes we received a tray
\ntoo and when we teased our cook that their food tasted better,
\nshe would chase us out of her domain with lots of laughter from
\nall of us. Our early morning meals are usually left untouched,
\nour stomachs can't take the food at 4 o'clock in the morning. In
\nthe last days before the end of Ramadhan our paper bags multiply,
\nsome are bigger for those needy families with more children.<\/p>\n
Suppose that only 10 percent of the families in Jakarta had
\nthe same tradition (I know many who do), all one needs is a
\ncalculator to work out how many extra kilograms of rice is needed
\nin Jakarta alone during Ramadhan. Not yet included is the rice
\ncollected privately in communities all over the city for the
\nZakat Fitrah (tithe in rice or money donated on the last day of
\nRamadhan).<\/p>\n
Does this answers Mr Luckett's cynical question: \"Can anyone
\nout there explain the annual government reports of 20 percent to
\n25 percent increase of food supplies to feed the city during the
\n\"fasting\" month of Ramadhan?\" (The Jakarta Post, Feb. 23, 1995).<\/p>\n
It's not that some people eat more, but that more people eat
\nsome.<\/p>\n
INA SUMARSONO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ramadhan-tradition-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }