Graveyard business thrives as people pay annual visit

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Graveyards in the city have taken on a festive atmosphere over the past few days, with temporary stalls erected at cemetery entrance gates, offering flowers and fragrant water.

Inside the graveyards, dozens of men armed with broomsticks greet the increasing number of visitors, offering to tidy up the graves. Some men and women are also available to recite prayers for the deceased on request.

"I can make about Rp 100,000 per day," said Marni, who offers a prayer service at the Menteng Pulo graveyard in Central Jakarta.

Grave cleaners can make Rp 60,000 to Rp 70,000 each.

It is a tradition for Javanese people to visit graveyards before they start fasting for the holy month of Ramadhan, which starts next Wednesday.

On Thursday afternoon, dozens of people -- mostly adult women and elderly men -- were seen praying at the Karet Bivak cemetery and the Menteng Pulo cemetery, both in Central Jakarta.

"I always visit their graves prior to the fasting month to offer them my prayers," said Juariah Yusuf, a middle-aged woman visiting the graves of her husband and daughter at Karet Bivak cemetery.

The native Jakartan, a retired city administration officer, told The Jakarta Post that she believed the spirits of her husband and daughter would be more restful upon hearing her prayers, and she hoped that she could cope with the fasting month obligations with their blessing.

Accompanied by her maid, Juariah put flower petals on the graves.

Another visitor, Mira Duana, told the Post that she always visited her parents' grave prior to the fasting month for reasons of tradition.

"I come here mainly to tidy up the graves as well as refresh my memory of them," said the 34-year-old woman.

In fact, it is not obligatory for Muslims to visit graveyards prior to the fasting month or at any other time, but many practice the traditional rituals inherited from their elders.

According to Javanese tradition, the dead need the prayers of the living to obtain God's blessing and to forgive them their wrongdoings.

People pray mainly to avoid any disruption to their devotion to God during the holy month. After the fasting month of Ramadhan is over or almost over, people will visit graveyards to offer prayers for the deceased and request the blessing of God for tranquility, safety and prosperity.

Unlike Muslims in Middle Eastern countries, local Muslims here -- particularly the Javanese -- perform not only Islamic rituals, such as praying five times per day, but also spiritual activities like meditating, burning incense and making offerings to spirits of ancestors.

The latter are derived from Hindu and Buddhist culture, which flourished in the country before the arrival of Islam.