Muslims begin Ramadhan quietly amid soaring prices

The Jakarta Post, Medan, Jakarta

Coming hard on the heels of steep fuel price rises and a second bomb attack in Bali, the fasting month of Ramadhan kicked off quietly in Indonesia on Wednesday, with most Muslims preferring to stay home.

Office buildings appeared rather deserted in Medan, North Sumatra, and also Banda Aceh, where many employees opted to skip work while others spent most of their time resting at mosques.

Ramli, a civil servant working at the North Sumatra administration office, said that it was not unusual for people to skip work in the early days of Ramadhan.

Meanwhile, another civil servant, Murni, asked her boss for permission to leave the office early to prepare the for the breaking of the fast on the first day of the holy month.

"There's nothing left to do at office, either. It's not that I'm lazy, but I have to prepare the meal at home."

In Aceh, public services ran as normal, Antara reported, but public places, like markets, were quiet.

Many people have apparently embraced the tradition of returning to their hometowns to spend the first days of the fasting month with their families.

Aceh provincial administration spokesman Nurdin F. Joes said that many people went home to conduct the meugang ceremony, in which cows or buffaloes are sacrificed to welcome in the fasting month.

In villages badly hit by the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami, however, people opted to stay in mosques all day instead of staying in their tents.

In Jayapura, although the majority of Papuans are Christians, the city was quiet in welcoming the fasting month. Crowds were only seen at several traditional markets, where Muslim residents buy their meals.

The fasting month was merrier in Bandar Lampung with people parading through the city since Tuesday evening, calling on people to go to mosque for prayers.

Ceremonies such as the Punggahan were also held, where people gathered for meals and prayers to mark the start of the fasting month. Others shared food dishes between their friends and families, and other visited the graves of their parents.

Meanwhile in Surabaya, dozens of vendors took part in a bazaar in front of the Al-Akbar Mosque, selling food and beverages.

"There are 45 tents, but there are many more vendors that don't use tents," said Hartono, a security guard at the mosque.

The bazaar is an annual tradition that involves street vendors all over the city.

In Bogor, despite a warning by the local administration not to sell, keep or burn firecrackers, the sounds of firecrackers were heard in several places across the city on Wednesday.

Amid the rising prices following the fuel price hike, Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto appealed for people's patience and consideration.

"This is an unfortunate time. So, let's stick together and help each other in this sorrowful period," he told a mass prayer gathering on Tuesday evening.