Rain, recession fail to dampen Idul Fitri spirit

JAKARTA (JP): A heavy downpour forced many people in Jakarta to hold Idul Fitri prayers indoors instead of outdoors, and delayed many from visiting their relatives Friday.

The deep economic recession also forced many people to cut back on how much they spent on the celebration, such as on new clothes for their children and on food.

But rain or recession, the Idul Fitri message and the virtues it extols remained strong, or perhaps even stronger, as Moslems in Indonesia marked the end of the Ramadhan fasting month.

As the country was in the throes of the worst economic recession in 30 years, government officials led by President Soeharto and preachers hammered home the message that the virtues of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, including perseverance and spiritual strength, are assets that should see the nation through the crisis.

The takbir, or chanting of praises to Allah (Allah is Great, there is no God but God), accompanied by the beating of drums, were heard almost everywhere, from people on open trucks, on the streets, in mosques and open fields on the eve of Idul Fitri.

The chanting and drum beating went on all night until morning prayer time. There were even firecrackers, in defiance of a government ban, to make a blast of the evening.

Most prayer services were held as planned, although some venues were changed at the last minute because of the rain. One notable cancellation was the traditional prayer service in the massive Senayan parking lot with a scheduled sermon by popular imam Zainuddin M.Z.

There were not as many people thronging the open fields as in past Idul Fitris as many people had began the celebration and had prayed on Thursday.

Although the government declared that Idul Fitri fell on Friday, Muhammadiyah, one of the largest Moslem organizations in the country, said that based on the movement of the moon, the Ramadhan fasting month had ended Wednesday, and Syawal, the new month in the Islamic calendar, had began Thursday.

It also rained heavily in Bandung and Semarang and in many smaller towns in Java on Friday.

In most parts of Jakarta, the heavy rain did not begin until after prayer services ended. With only skeleton public transportation services, many people delayed plans to visit their relatives. But with three million Jakartans joining the exodus to rural villages, traffic was also easier during the holiday.

While the recession may not have dampened the Idul Fitri spirit, it was very much the talk of the town.

As relatives, friends and neighbors got together, they compared notes on how the recession was affecting each one of them. It became clear that almost no one had been spared. They differed only on how deeply each had been affected by the crisis.

Surviving the crisis was also very much a part of the Idul Fitri message from government officials and in sermons.

President Soeharto set the tone in his appearance at the Gema Takbir, a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people chanting praise to Allah, in Monas Square on Thursday night.

After hitting a massive drum, the 76-year-old President, donning a sarong, a Moslem shirt and cap, extolled the virtues of fasting that strengthen one's faith and self-control, which he said could be a source of inspiration for a nation engulfed in crisis.

"Have faith. Every sacrifice that the nation makes shall not be wasted," he said.

Soeharto led the ceremony accompanied by Vice President Try Sutrisno and most members of the cabinet and other dignitaries.

Ali Yafie, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), in his Idul Fitri sermon at the Grand Istiqlal Mosque said Moslems should pioneer and lead the campaign to be dedicated to and love the nation, including the drive to love the rupiah and locally made products now being pursued to ease the crisis.

"Let's strengthen our resolve to continue with our development, through our sense of responsibility, our willingness to sacrifice and persevere, and through hard work together and in solidarity," he said.

He described Idul Fitri as a "graduation day" for those who had passed the tests of Ramadhan.

MUI chairman Hasan Basri, who delivered the sermon at the Al Azhar Grand Mosque, said the crisis was not solely the problem of the government, but also the responsibility of the people.

He called on all Moslems to lead a simple life as a way to ease the pressure on the national currency. "Let's also fortify ourselves against the desire to buy imported products," he said. (team)