The annual journey home a die-hard tradition

Suherdjoko and Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post/Cirebon/Semarang

The sight of people rushing to reach their hometowns or traffic congestion on roads leading to cities outside Jakarta are a common sight every year ahead of Idul Fitri. High spending, mainly for transportation and gifts, is temporarily forgotten.

For Purbani, a native of Kulonprogo in Yogyakarta who works as a civil servant in Jakarta, the annual trip is a must.

"Since I was single and now that I have three children, I always come home to celebrate Idul Fitri. Back then I went home, squeezed in with other travelers on the train, only to reach home. Once, I stood all the way on an 18-hour journey," he said on Tuesday.

Now, he returns home in style, with his own car.

"This year around, the annual trip for Idul Fitri is a sort of reunion. Back then, we still had our parents as well as our mother and father-in-law, but now they have passed away. So now, it's just us, me and my siblings as well as my in-laws and friends back home.

"By making this trip, I want to teach my children, who were all born in Jakarta, that they have family back home in the village. So they know their father came from a village which still preserves rituals, including the annual Idul Fitri get together," Purbani said.

Another traveler, Tri Atmojo of Grobogan in Yogyakarta, planned to return home to Blitar, East Java a day before Idul Fitri, which falls on Nov. 3.

"I'll definitely go back home. I have my mother and my siblings back at home. This is a must but I don't feel forced to do it," he said.

Being stuck for hours in traffic is another "ritual" for the Idul Fitri travelers, whose numbers, according to the Ministry of Transportation data, increased from last year, from 15.8 million in 2004 to an estimated 16.9 million this year.

For Dahono Fitrianto, a 30-year-old Jakarta resident who is returning to his hometown in Semarang, the exodus is a chance to return to one's roots, which in simple language is translated as gathering with the family.

"This way, we maintain relationships. Going home can also be seen as a way to show our gratitude to Allah. After working hard for a year, we haven't forgotten His blessings," said the man who works in a publishing company.

With such spirit in their heart, Idul Fitri travelers can survive anything. "The problems we encounter is the price we have to pay," said Dahono, who made the 404-kilometer journey from Jakarta to Semarang by car.

Another traveler, Isman, a Tangerang resident on his way to Pemalang in Central Java, went home with his family every year as he used the occasion to get closer to his parents and relatives.

"We leave our parents for a whole year, and it doesn't seem right if we can't make it once a year during Idul Fitri," Isman said.

The spirit to return home, according psychologist Pius Heru Priyanto of Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang, is a die-hard tradition in the country.

"It's not only the exodus which has become a tradition, but also the halal bihalal (to ask and give forgiveness at the end of the fasting period) ritual after Idul Fitri. The tradition is part of the people, with no exception due to religion, race or social status," Pius said on Tuesday.

He said that the annual exodus was not only followed by Muslims but also those of other religions. Pius himself, a Catholic, would join in the tradition, returning home to Yogyakarta.