The meaning of 'Lebaran'

The meaning of 'Lebaran'

Although Idul Fitri -- the end of the holy month of Ramadhan
-- is still more than three weeks away, President Soeharto's
directive to government officials this week to make sure that
private business employees are paid their holiday allowances well
before the holiday arrives comes none to soon.

"Give workers an opportunity to perform their fast in peace.
Don't let employers pay their workers only after demands for the
allowances are made. It would be expedient to announce the date
of payment now and the sum should be in accordance to the
existing regulations," Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief quoted
the Head of State as saying.

Too many employers, however, seem to still be taking the view
that Idul Fitri, or Lebaran, is a waste of valuable time and
money and certainly not worth spending so much money on. It is
because of this conflict in perception that employee's demands
for payment of these annual Lebaran allowances have in the past
frequently been a source of friction and open dispute between
workers and their employers. And it was to avert such frictions
that the government last year issued a regulation that requires
private companies to pay their workers the Lebaran allowance they
are due, the sum of which, obviously, depends on the company's
financial capabilities.

Various theories have been offered to point out the economic
cost -- or the economic benefits, depending on one's point of
view -- of Lebaran. Obviously, workdays are lost. On the other
hand there are those who argue that the tradition helps spread
wealth and income from the cities to the rural areas. Whatever
the case, given the major importance of Lebaran to the masses of
Indonesians, it seems only reasonable that attention be paid to
the financial needs of those who celebrate this great national
and religious holiday.

Lebaran in Indonesia is an event that defies comparison with
any other religious holiday we know of, anywhere -- or even with
Idul Fitri in, say, the Arab countries, where Islam originated.
As for the importance which Indonesian Moslems attach to Lebaran,
this will be obvious to anyone who has lived in Indonesia for
some time. In about three weeks time, or maybe even less, the
annual mass exodus from the big cities such as Jakarta will
begin.

For by far the majority of Indonesians it is an absolute
necessity for people, especially the younger ones, to spend
Lebaran with their parents and closest kin. This is done to share
the joy and significance of the message of Ramadhan and to ask
others, the elders in particular, for forgiveness for any wrongs
committed in the past year.

Masses of people will once again be pushing and jostling each
to get on the buses and trains that will take them to their home
towns or villages in the provinces.

On the day of Lebaran, which this year is expected to coincide
with March 2, and for more than a week thereafter motorized
traffic on Jakarta's streets will be so parse as to make the city
almost unrecognizable. Many households will have to make do
without servants and many market stalls will be closed for weeks.

Of course, one might wonder why Indonesians place so much
importance on this Moslem holiday. After all, there is no
requirement for Moslems to visit their kin and ask elders for
their forgiveness for wrongs committed throughout the year on
that particular holiday. And any tradition comparable to the
Lebaran holiday in Indonesia is unknown in the Arab countries, in
other countries of the Middle East and in the Islamic countries
of northern Africa.

The reason is that religious and ancestral traditions are
blended in the celebration of Idul Fitri in Indonesia. Of course,
the fact that the great majority of Indonesians are Moslems
accounts for the huge celebrations. But also, as long as parents
and elders are accorded the honor and respect they have enjoyed
for ages in Indonesia, the Lebaran tradition as it is known at
present is sure to survive.