Millions gear up for joyous Idul Fitri

Moslems all over the world will celebrate Idul Fitri, the post-fasting holidays, next week. In Indonesia, the Moslem holidays will be observed Sunday and Monday. The Jakarta Post is running stories on Idul Fitri preparations in today's and tomorrow's editions written by reporters Rita A. Widiadana, Prapti Widinugraheni, I. Christianto, Ida Indawati Khouw, Dwi Atmanta, Wirasti Wiryono, and Mulkan Salmona.

JAKARTA (JP): Moslems all over the globe can hardly wait for the Idul Fitri holidays.

Next week, millions of Moslems with joyous faces will celebrate the holidays which fall on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, when they will flock to mosques and open fields for Idul Fitri prayers, the rite marking the end of the fasting month.

In Indonesia where 87 percent of the 200 million people are Moslems, Idul Fitri is colored by rich cultural and religious touches.

Idul Fitri marks the final days of self-purification after a month of hard fasting, no other place in the world celebrates Halal Bihalal, the Idul Fitri get-together.

At Idul Fitri people generally greet one another with Minal 'Aidin Wal Faidzin, an Arabic request for complete forgiveness or Maaf Lahir Batin in Indonesian.

The joyous mood and feasting will prevail in nearly all parts of Indonesia.

The traditional beating of the drums to mark the end of Ramadhan and chants glorifying Allah will be heard from all mosques on malam takbiran, the eve of Feb. 9.

For Indonesia, still shaken by a series of violent outbreaks, the Idul Fitri holidays may bring a lighter atmosphere. It is the right time to maintain and enhance sillaturrahmi, brotherly ties, and to bridge all differences.

Moslems here, and in other parts of the globe, often differ on the dates of Idul Fitri for a number of reasons, including using the different methods of determining the start of the new moon.

This year, there may not be debate between scholars, astronomers and religious leaders about when the Idul Fitri holidays should be celebrated.

This means all Moslems in Indonesia are likely to celebrate the holidays on the same days.

As the holidays approach, massive preparations are being made by the general public, businessmen, government agencies and the private sector.

In the last week of Ramadhan, jostling shoppers can hardly move in shopping malls, department stores and traditional markets in Jakarta and across the country.

People spend millions of rupiah buying new clothes, shoes, and extra food for the holidays. Business, particularly in the textile, garment and jewelry trades, surges during the last week of the fasting month.

Starting this weekend, about 25 million people will join the homeward bound exodus, locally known as mudik, from Indonesia's major cities to their home towns to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families.

Many people consider mudik irrational. They ask why people persist with the mad struggle, sometimes lasting for days, just to get a bus or a train ticket home.

The situation looks even grimmer with other common tales of confusion added to the list -- the long waits at all stations from those in provincial towns to the smaller towns and villages. In other years, thousands of people have been stranded in bus terminals and railway stations. One woman even gave birth in one of the city's terminals while waiting for a bus and many others have collapsed and even died at terminals.

With the efforts and agonies involved, should the Idul Fitri exodus be banished from the lives of many Indonesian people?

Scholar Emha Ainun Nadjib says that mudik may continue despite the suffering people endure to take part in the annual pilgrimage.

"Mudik means more than just traveling from one town to another. It has transcendental meaning," he said.

People need to gather with their families in this religious and joyous atmosphere, he explained.

After the annual diehard struggle to earn a living in the big and unfriendly cities, urbanites need a "home" to return to, a place they feel warmly accepted. Mudik serves people's psychological and spiritual needs.

Komarrudin Hidayat from Paramadina Islamic Research and Development Body in Jakarta, shares Emha's view. "It would be almost impossible to abandon the tradition of the Idul Fitri mudik among the predominantly Moslem Indonesians."

"Mudik has become an important part of Indonesian culture. The tradition strengthens brotherly ties and contains high cultural and spiritual values," he said.

But, he said, many people think mudik is just a waste of time and money.

As usual, this year's Idul Fitri holidays are likely to be colored by traffic jams throughout Java. The government has no choice but to prepare its best facilities to help revelers reach their home towns in a safe and comfortable way. Preparations are being made by all related government agencies to help the millions of people enjoy their homebound journeys.

The government has realized it is no use preventing people going home in the holidays.

Tens of thousands of officers will be at hand to regulate traffic and safeguard Idul Fitri travelers.

To ease travelers burdens, Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief has called on all companies to provide special transport for employees going home for Idul Fitri.

The minister said transportation facilities would make employees feel secure prior to the Islamic holidays, which are always marked by a massive exodus. Most revelers head for towns in West, Central and East Java.

Some jamu herbal medicine companies already have such programs. Since l992, several companies, including Sido Muncul, Air Mancur and cosmetics producer PT Martina Berto, have offered free bus transportation for thousands of jamu vendors and their employees.

"It is high time the government paid more attention to the needs of the average Indonesian citizen," the minister said. (team)