'It's strange celebrating Idul Fitri without family'

'It's strange celebrating Idul Fitri without family'

Idul Fitri is only a week away. Many people have struggled to get
tickets to go home by train, bus, ship or plane. The difficulties
during the journey is no longer a consideration as they think
they must celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns. The Jakarta
Post talked to several people about the issue.

Nuraiah, 38, sells fresh juice in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
She lives in Palmerah with her youngest daughter. Her hometown is
in Garut, West Java:

I have to go home to Garut this Idul Fitri because all of my
children will be there. They go to school in Bandung, so we
barely see each other. They have already asked me when I will
come home.

Uni, 36, is a clothes vendor in Tanah Abang textile market,
Central Jakarta. She comes from Padang, West Sumatra:

I will definitely go home, maybe five days before the Idul
Fitri celebration. As a child, it is my obligation to visit my
parents and ask for their forgiveness for my sins on that very
special day.

I will be in Padang for about two weeks. It's kind of
refreshing as I can get away from Jakarta's hustle and bustle.
But I must return here as I have two clothes shops to run.

Leny, 25, is a housewife who lives with her husband and son in
Tangerang. She comes from Cianjur, West Java:

I made an agreement with my husband when we got married that
we will spend the last day of Ramadhan at his parents house in
Kalibata, South Jakarta, and hold Idul Fitri prayers there.

Then, after praying, we will go to Cianjur to meet my mother
and my sisters. My father passed away when I was in the
elementary school.

Although we have to travel in a public bus and the road to
Cianjur will be crammed with vehicles, I don't really care as
long as I can celebrate Idul Fitri at home. It's strange
celebrating the day without your big family.

-- The Jakarta Post