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.