Idul Fitri -- A blessed time of giving and receiving

By Kafil Yamin

BANDUNG (JP): It was still four weeks before Idul Fitri, but Fajar had been whining the whole day through for a new pair of shoes. Hairah, his mother, could hardly console the 10-year-old boy but said: "OK. Tomorrow we will go to shoe shop."

But Hairah did not really mean "tomorrow". "And if I did, I didn't really lie because we could just go to the shoe shop and not buy anything. All I was trying to do was to stop his whining," she told The Jakarta Post.

He did stop whining, but as expected, right on the next day, he asked his mother to keep her promise. The headache continued as she still did not have the money. But, Hariah's brother, who happened to be there on a family visit, was moved and talked to the boy: "You want shoes? Let's go! I need to buy shoes as well."

Fajar had been whining about shoes because several of his friends in the neighborhood told him that their parents had already bought them new shoes and clothes to wear on Idul Fitri, or Lebaran as the holiday marking the end of the Islamic fasting month is commonly referred to in Indonesia.

And parents also have their own reasons for making such purchases earlier. "If we buy these things later, as Idul Fitri draws nearer, prices will be higher," said Yusuf, a construction worker in Cipatat, West Java.

He added that he was somewhat lucky as he found a job at the same time as his children started to ask for new clothes and shoes. "So I set aside a certain amount of money for those kind of things," he said.

Agus, a seasoned driver and a father of two children, said he had no idea how he could afford to buy his children new clothes and shoes until someone came to his house and asked him to drive to Jakarta. He was paid Rp 150,000 for the two-day trip.

Osam, also a seasoned driver, said he had earlier told his children that he would not be buying them anything for Lebaran. "Just because I had no idea how to get the money," he said.

He was still at a loss when one day a man came to him and told him that he was looking for a used vehicle, a 1982 Mitsubishi mini-truck.

"Luckily, I knew of a friend who wanted to sell his van, the exact same make that the other guy was looking for. I just brought them together and the deal was made. I got Rp 500,000 in commission for the transaction," he said.

For low-income people, life is quite difficult. They have to work hard just to feed their children, let alone buy them new shoes or clothes. But Hariah and many others believe that as long as they are tenacious, they will find a way to please the kids.

"Prices are shooting up. Necessities are unavoidable. And we found a way. Maybe it's the blessings of the holy month of Ramadhan. I believe it is," said Hariah.

She is not a trader and does not know how to do business. But last year's Ramadhan it just came into her head to make kolak (sweet banana juice) and set up a small stand at the entrance to a nearby housing complex. And, as she put it, "the sales were not bad!"

Hairah was soon joined by other housewives selling Ramadhan treats such as korma (Arabic sweet bean), cendol (syrup made of rice or sago with coconut milk), and even fireworks and firecrackers. "And they all made good profits."

"We are believers. We believe that this holy month will bring us good things and open the door to better life. The right path is wide open," she said.

The blessings of Ramadhan are also felt by farmers, who enjoy good profits from increased fruit and vegetable prices.

Certain items, like red chilis and potatoes, bring windfall gains.

"There are stumbling blocks and pitfalls on the road but the farmers have renewed strength to see them through," said Farid Mualana, a farmer in Cipatik district.

He has been growing red chilis for three months and they are now ready for harvesting. Based on his latest sales, his products will bring him more than enough profit.

The Saidiman family does not have any business to run, seed to plant or work to do.

But since Ramadhan, there has been a lot of charity flowing into their home. "At least we have enough food to eat and money to spend," Mr. Saidiman said.

He has big plans for the Idul Fitri festivities. The entire family will travel all the way to their hometown in remote Gunung Halu. They will have spent a lot of money by then on transport and the purchase of lebaran gifts for their relatives and friends there.

Of course, Saidiman cannot afford to rent a car. Instead, he will join his fellow villagers and charter a bus. "That's what we do every Lebaran. It's much cheaper," Saidiman explained.

As for lebaran gifts, he said he would do anything to get them. "I would sell my birds or my TV set if necessary."

And so, the Saidiman family will be among the millions of travelers who will pour out of the big cities on the way to their hometowns.

As the sages always say, mudik (lebaran travel) is supposed to involve a sort of spiritual process. "Spiritually, human beings need to return regularly to their virtual and essential beings so that they will be purified as God's creatures," a preacher once explained.