The annual journey home a die-hard tradition

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.