Prof Otto: Halalbihalal is a Unique Tradition Exclusive to Indonesia

Chairman General of Peradi, Prof Otto Hasibuan, stated that halalbihalal is a unique tradition in Indonesia following Eid al-Fitr. “Halalbihalal is a tradition that is unique exclusively to Indonesia,” said Otto in a press release in Jakarta on Thursday (9/4/2026). According to him, halalbihalal derives from the word halal, meaning to make permissible or to forgive various human errors. “So if there is any wrong action that we have done so far, we mutually forgive each other,” Otto explained. Therefore, he continued, the meaning of halalbihalal is deeper than mere silaturahmi. This is because it involves mutual forgiveness for all mistakes. “We have been doing this for 21 years now, more than 20 times during Peradi’s existence,” said Otto at Peradi’s Halalbihalal for 1447 H in Jakarta on Tuesday night (7/4/2026) WIB. On that occasion, Otto reported the distribution of funds from disaster donations in North Sumatra (Sumut), West Sumatra (Sumbar), and Aceh amounting to Rp 6.7 billion, successfully collected by Peradi in December 2025. From those funds, he continued, some have been distributed to three locations in Sumbar at the beginning of this month. “We built a suspension bridge in Solok, SMA Negeri 21 school in Padang, and we also built a mosque in Agam,” he said. Meanwhile, distributions in Aceh and Sumut will be carried out soon. From that amount, Peradi has distributed Rp 700 million to its members affected by disasters in those three provinces. “We remain committed to participating in helping our fellow citizens, fellow children of the nation,” Otto explained. Specifically, he conveyed a message to all Peradi advocate members, namely to carry out their duties professionally, with mutual respect, maintaining brotherhood, and upholding the truth. Regarding the single bar for advocate organisations, Otto emphasised that everyone adheres to it as per the Advocates Law.