Native Jakartans preserve old Idul Fitri traditions

Native Jakartans preserve old Idul Fitri traditions

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Sixty-one-year-old Masyim doesn't mind looking around for young
coconut leaves far away from his neighborhood in Srengseng Sawah,
South Jakarta, as he can earn Rp 1.5 million (US$157) from
selling ketupat (rice cake) casings made from the leaves.

"It is difficult to find coconut trees around here. We used to
have plenty, but a lot of the land has been sold," the Betawi man
told The Jakarta Post.

Masyim is one of around 3,000 native Jakartans living on the
Setu Babakan cultural reserve who observe tradition when
celebrating Idul Fitri, which fell on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 this
year.

Masyim, who grows fruit on land by the lake for a living, said
many native Jakartans in the area used to sell ketupat casings to
various places around Jakarta to earn additional money for
Lebaran.

"I have been doing this all my life ... I helped my father
plait leaves when I was five or six. Many of my neighbors stopped
several years ago. Only one or two still continue the tradition,"
he said.

Masyim added that he used to make around 3,000 ketupat casings
each Lebaran and sell them for Rp 500 each.

He and his family -- a wife and three children -- would get
together for the three days prior to Idul Fitri to make the
casings for ketupat, which is traditionally eaten at Idul Fitri,
to be sold to neighbors and Lenteng Agung and Pasar Minggu
traditional markets, both in South Jakarta.

For the Betawi, there would not be Idul Fitri without each
house preparing dodol, a sticky sweet made of palm sugar, flour
and coconut milk.

"Not many households make dodol anymore because it is hard to
make. It takes two hours to make the mixture, and then it has to
be continuously stirred over a fire for eight hours. So many of
us prefer to buy it instead," said Mai, 60, who lives a few
houses away from Masyim.

Mai and her three daughters were busy taking orders for dodol
from neighbors.

"I charge them Rp 20,000 for a kilogram of dodol. So, besides
feeding my own family, I also sell food to others. I have been
making dodol for decades but have only sold it in recent years,"
she said.

Sahroni, 38, acknowledged that many traditional activities to
welcome Idul Fitri, such as preparing traditional dishes,
lighting firecrackers and homemade bamboo cannons at Ramadhan,
beating traditional drums (beduk) at the beginning and end of
Ramadhan, as well as saving money to buy oxen to share for Idul
Fitri meals, has fizzled out over the last couple of years.

"It is different now without those traditions. Many of us have
been influenced by modern life, which advocates a more practical
life and activities. We don't want to spend hours just to prepare
food or making bamboo cannons. Unless we can make money out of it
we won't do it anymore," added Sahroni.