Feasting and forgiveness highlights of Idul Fitri

Feasting and forgiveness highlights of Idul Fitri

Text and photos by Oka Budi Yogaswara

JAKARTA (JP): "Lebaran is coming, Lebaran is coming" goes the
excited refrain from a popular song on TV.

Lebaran -- Indonesian for the Idul Fitri holiday -- falls on
this Friday and Saturday, and the Moslem community is busy
preparing for the festivities to conclude the Ramadhan fasting
month.

Some are in the kitchen baking a mountain of cookies and
favorite foods, and others are putting together personalized
parcels for business partners and friends.

Particular foods associated with the celebration include goat
meat, chicken and beef dishes. Most famous of all, however, is
ketupat, the rice cooked in casings of plaited coconut leaves.

The holiday is also the time to step out in new clothes. Some
will have these made by a tailor, but many women look for
increasingly popular Moslem fashions in boutiques and shopping
centers.

Several major fashion shows this past month, including one by
veteran designer Ramli, have heralded a more stylish accent in
Moslem dress.

Ministries and government offices have held cheap bazaars for
members of the middle and lower classes. Featured among the wares
are clothing and basic foodstuffs, on sale at heavily discounted
prices. .

In Arabic, Idul Fitri means "becoming holy again" through
asking for forgiveness from family and friends. Parents, of
course, are top priority, followed by other relatives based on
age and status.

It is not a mere exchange of words; once forgiveness has been
provided, one should do the utmost never to commit the same
mistakes again.

This yearning to do what is right drives the mad scramble for
tickets and seats at the bus terminals in Pulogadung, Kampung
Rambutan and Lebak Bulus.

For the faithful, the hardship of being squeezed and poked for
hours on a cramped bus or train is a small price to pay to spend
Lebaran with loved ones.