Hardi's Story: Three Times Celebrating Eid with the President

A resident from Bogor, Hardi (30), has been queuing for more than three hours in front of the Majapahit gate at the Merdeka Palace complex in Central Jakarta on Saturday (21/3/2026). He began queuing after completing the congregational Eid al-Fitr prayer at Istiqlal Mosque around 07.00 WIB. Participating in the halal bihalal at the palace during Eid has been a tradition for Hardi over the past three years. He admitted that he deliberately chose to spend the first day of Eid shaking hands with the President. “Then in 2025, it was the same, but the president had changed to Mr Prabowo. Alhamdulillah, I’ve shaken hands with both after queuing for the halal bihalal,” he explained. Hardi also shared his impressions of the handshake with the president. There was a feeling of joy and relief after queuing for hours to directly exchange greetings with the head of state. However, according to Hardi, the first handshake with President Prabowo during Eid al-Fitr 2025 was more thrilling. “Shaking hands with him was more nerve-wracking because of his aura, you know. He is heavily guarded, but when shaking hands, Mr Prabowo turned out to be a friendly person,” Hardi said. “I want to shake hands again. Once a year, it’s okay to shake hands with the president,” he added. Meanwhile, Deni Ramdani (35) brought his wife and three children to queue for the halal bihalal at the palace. Dressed in matching turquoise Eid outfits, Deni's family stood out among the queue of residents stretching over more than 60 metres in front of the Presidential Palace complex. Deni's family travelled from Cakung in East Jakarta to Istiqlal Mosque first before joining the halal bihalal queue. Deni, who works daily as an online motorbike taxi driver (ojol), willingly took the day off and did not pick up passengers throughout Saturday to queue for the halal bihalal at the palace. In addition, Deni's family has not yet done halal bihalal with their neighbours. “Today is specially for queuing to meet Mr President. My wife happens to be enthusiastic about meeting Mr Prabowo. The children just follow,” Deni added.