Going for broke on Idul Fitri

Going for broke on Idul Fitri

JAKARTA (JP): It's that time again. Idul Fitri is a day away and households are doing without maids, bosses without drivers, and Jakarta will be traffic free as 3.2 million people jam Central Java's roads instead.

This tradition has been going on since Noah escaped the Flood. Every Idul Fitri Indonesians living in cities go home to their villages. For most city people, spending Idul Fitri in their home towns is a must, even though they spend their year's savings to make the trip.

The costly trip can be murder, especially for those traveling on public buses or trains.

Seeing how these travelers fight to get into a bus or on train, you may think they are out of their minds. What's so good about Idul Fitri at home, anyway? There are 363 other days in the year, why not pick one of them to go home? The trip would be easier.

"It's a waste of money," a government official scorns. "Besides, it's a big burden to the government. Moving millions of people in a relatively short period is no piece of cake. Think of the hassle and the money it takes."

"Why waste your hard-earned money?" an employer lectured his workers. "Think about the future. Save your money for a rainy day." (He obviously had not looked out the window.)

But, Narto, a golf-course attendant, doesn't find being squeezed into a crowded train for 14 hours miserable.

"I've been doing this for 10 years in a row," he said.

Last year he returned to Jakarta flat broke. Two weeks with his wife drained his pockets. He sold his watch and borrowed some money from his uncle for the bus fare back to the city where he would begin saving every rupiah he could spare for next year's trip. He has no plans to stop his annual migration.

"Instead of going home for Idul Fitri, you can save money to rent a house and to send for your wife and children," I offered.

"Even with my wife and children in Jakarta, I still have to go home for Idul Fitri," he said. "And it will be a lot harder to do it with a wife and three children in tow."

Seeing that I didn't agree, he continued, "To spend Idul Fitri far away from your folks is meaningless."

Ujang, a waiter in a Padang food restaurant, believes that Idul Fitri is the time for good deeds. When I met him at the Pulo Gadung Bus Terminal, he looked excited about the trip.

"I'll clean my father's grave, share everything I earned with relatives, and...," he paused shyly, "I may find a bride. This is the perfect time for that."

"Being among relatives has no price tag," commented Latif, a Medanese, who was eager to get to the ferry at the Merak ferry terminal. He had spent millions of rupiah to buy a better car for the long drive home.

"Traveling during this time of year is hell," says a Javanese taxi driver. "On the other hand, it brings a lot of excitement and things to remember. Last year, I fought to have a woman seated on a bus thinking she was my wife. Imagine how I felt when I found out that I had towed along the wrong woman. I still can't help laughing every time I remember that incident."

Apparently, lecturing these people about efficiency and the need to save money for a rainy day is fruitless. But, then, there are not many things in the world that make people truly happy. If one of them is spending Idul Fitri with relatives, no matter what it takes, why not? Saving money is all right, but if Idul Fitri is the rainy day you have saved for, why wait? Go for it.

-- Carl Chairul