SMS takes over the place of traditional Idul Fitri cards
SMS takes over the place of traditional Idul Fitri cards
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Even while awaiting her turn for sungkeman (a Javanese tradition
to show respect by kneeling down) and apologizing to her elders
for the mistakes of the past year, Rima was busy sending text
messages to her friends.
The employee of a private company in Central Jakarta, could not
help but laugh when she received a humorous message, despite the
solemnity of the occasion.
During the family gathering for Idul Fitri, Rima and her
relatives did not just talk, exchange greetings and eat ketupat
(rice cakes served with side dishes). They all had their cell
phones in hand, ready to send or reply to messages.
"It's practical, it's instant and it's cheap," Rima argued.
"No need for stamps, no need to queue at the post office and
no need to buy greeting cards," she said, adding that she
received more than 80 messages on Thursday alone.
Indeed, sending Idul Fitri text messages, which, as is the
custom, often include an apology for any wrongdoings
intentionally or unintentionally committed over the past year,
has become the norm here.
At a cost of between Rp 150 (1.5 U.S. cents) and Rp 300 per
message -- depending on the cellular phone operator and the
services offered (pre-paid or post-paid) -- short text messaging
comes at a fraction of the cost of buying and sending greeting
cards.
By numbers, the trend is proving to be true. Last year, short
text messages sent during the Nov. 14 to Nov. 15 Idul Fitri
holiday nearly doubled from the number sent in 2003.
The country's largest cellular operator PT Telkomsel, for
example, recorded 87 million short text messages sent through its
network during last year's first day of Idul Fitri, as compared
to some 40 million the year before. Telkomsel also saw 72.5
million short text messages sent on last year's Idul Fitri eve
and 50 million the day after Idul Fitri.
Similarly, PT Indosat and PT Excelcomindo Pratama, the second-
and third-largest cellular operators, both saw an average of some
50 million short text messages being passed through their
networks during Idul Fitri last year.
The number of text messages sent during this year's Idul Fitri
holiday, which fell on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, is expected to have
increased again, with the operators upgrading their networks'
capacities in anticipation of the trend.
Similar activity is expected during the upcoming Christmas and
New Year's holidays.
Indosat, for example, had previously said it had increased its
short text message handling capacity by five times more than its
usual 36 million messages a day for the holiday.
Meanwhile, from a socio-cultural point of view, the trend of
sending Idul Fitri greetings via text message was seen by
observers as not unusual in the wake of technological
advancement.
The chairman of the nation's second-largest Muslim
organization Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsudin, was quoted by Antara as
saying that the service was a blessing for many, especially those
whom distance kept apart at Idul Fitri.
"There is nothing wrong with exchanging Idul Fitri greetings
through SMS. What matters is the sincerity of the greeting," he
said.
Din, however, said if circumstances allowed for it greetings
were best conveyed in person.
"To greet somebody by reaching out to clasp their hand is a
reflection of the heart reaching out," he said.