\u201cHappy Eid al-Adha, Ma\u2019am,\u201d Sister Joyce said to a Muslim woman after\nthe Eid al-Adha prayer at Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo in Bantul Regency,\nSpecial Region of Yogyakarta, that morning.<\/p>\n
The brief greeting was met with warm smiles from the women nearby.\nAfter the prayer, Sister Joyce engaged in light conversation with those\ntidying up their mukenas and prayer mats.<\/p>\n
No visible distance between Sister Joyce and the other worshippers,\ndespite her nun\u2019s habit contrasting against hundreds of women in white\nand pastel-coloured mukenas.<\/p>\n
The warm reception from the worshippers instantly dissolved the\nbarriers she had felt.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeelings of shyness or unfamiliarity melted away, allowing me to\nfeel part of everyone present in the field,\u201d said Sister Joyce.<\/p>\n
Sister Joyce, a nun from the Congregation of the Daughters of the\nQueen of the Holy Rosary and a Master\u2019s student in Nusantara Islam\nStudies at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, came to Gumuk Pasir\nParangkusumo to research the Eid al-Adha prayer practices there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am researching how the Eid prayer at Gumuk Pasir serves as a\nmeeting point for interfaith dialogue, local culture, natural spaces,\nand digital media,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sand Dunes as Prayer Mats<\/p>\n
Early that morning, the Gumuk Pasir Parangkusumo area was filled with\nthousands gathered for the 1447 Hijriah Eid al-Adha prayer. The cool air\ngradually faded as the sun rose over the eastern horizon. The previously\ngrey sky brightened, while the sand dunes slowly caught the dawn\u2019s\nlight.<\/p>\n
At the same time, takbirs echoed from loudspeakers, breaking the\nusual silence of the sand dunes, typically known as a tourist attraction\nand off-road vehicle playground.<\/p>\n
The sand surface gradually filled with worshippers\u2019 footprints, their\nmarks quickly erased by the wind. Meanwhile, the roar of motorcycles,\ncars, and tourist jeeps alternated as they entered the area, slowly\ntransforming the once-deserted space into a sea of people.<\/p>\n
Amidst the crowd, colourful prayer mats were spread across the sand\ndunes. To prevent sand from seeping through, some worshippers laid down\nplastic or bamboo mats as an additional layer before praying.<\/p>\n
As worshippers stood and aligned their rows, a serene quiet enveloped\nthe dunes. Takbirs, prayers, and sacred verses blended harmoniously with\nthe wind\u2019s roar and southern ocean waves.<\/p>\n
Beneath the warming sky, children eagerly joined their parents in the\nprayer rows. The atmosphere here felt distinctly different, offering a\nunique solemnity compared to Eid al-Adha prayers held in mosques or\ngeneral fields.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tolerance-amidst-the-parangkusumo-sand-dunes-1780015498", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }