Kampung Bugis residents welcome Ramadhan

Alpha Savitri, Contributor, Serangan Island, Bali

Ramadhan has arrived and everybody in Kampung Bugis, a small Islamic village here, is very happy to welcome the holy fasting month.

The sound of the Koran recital through a megaphone at an old Assyuhada mosque is heard in every corner of the 2.5 hectare village, near the Benoa harbor in Denpasar, the provincial capital of the Hindu dominated island of Bali.

For the 255 Moslem residents in Kampung Bugis, Ramadhan is a special month. It is a proper time to enhance their spiritual well-being by carrying out various religious rituals. The village dwellers have faithfully retained age-old Ramadhan traditions.

Established around the early 17th century, Kampung Bugis is one of the oldest Islamic villages in Bali. The villagers are descendants of Bugis sailors who fled their homeland in South Sulawesi to avoid Dutch troops.

They landed on Serangan island and built a residential place before being captured by the King of Badung. Knowing that the Bugis were brave warriors, the King used them to fight the Mengwi Kingdom. With the help of the Bugis people, Badung claimed victory.

The King later awarded these Bugis people with a plot of land currently known as Kampung Bugis, which their descendants now reside on.

Almost cut off for centuries from the hustle and bustle of tourism activities in Bali, Kampung Bugis has hardly changed at all. The majority of the village's population maintains the traditions that have been kept alive for generations. An Islamic mood is felt everywhere. Most women wear traditional kebaya covered by headscarves, while male members are decked out in modest sarongs.

The Assyuhadda mosque, the oldest one in Bali, stands sturdy as the village's landmark and a center of religious, social and educational activities. During Ramadhan, people usually flock to the mosque to perform tadarusan (Koran recital) before and after the breaking of the fast. Weeks before the fasting month, villagers worked together to clean and repaint the mosque.

Mothers and their daughters usually cook traditional Bugis delicacies like dokok (a sweet cake made of sticky rice, coconut milk and palm sugar wrapped in banana leaves), sarimuka (a steamed cake made of egg, sugar and sticky rice) and bingka (coconut cake) and other cakes. They sell the cakes in front of their houses. Each house usually sells different items.

Haji Mansyur, an influential figure, explained that, "It is not a pure business activity. They sell these cakes just for fun and to tighten their relationship with neighbors."

Such a scene only takes place during the fasting month. "It is a sort of homesickness although many of us were born here and have never been to Makassar," a woman added.

Ramadhan's festive mood in Kampung Bugis has long attracted people from neighboring hamlets. "They only come here to buy food and to speak with the locals. Many of them are believers of other religions. We have been living here side by side peacefully for hundreds of years," said Haji Mansyur.

Visiting the village during Ramadhan is really worthwhile, socially and spiritually.

People respect each other and devote their lives to performing good deeds during the entire month.

All members of the community are invited to break their fast at the mosque. Food is free. Local women are eager to donate a large variety of food and beverages as part of their contribution during the holy month.

Every afternoon, girls and boys recite the Koran at the old mosque, while their male elders continue the exercise after the Tarawih (special prayer during Ramadhan).

"Two days prior to Idul Fitri, we will read all the pages of the Koran twice and then we will hold a special thanksgiving party."

Ramadhan and Idul Fitri are the most important days for the Bugis villagers. A perfect time to purify their hearts and minds before entering better days in the future.