Eid holiday tradition stimulates Indonesian economy as tens of millions of Muslims return home
ExpandingJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – The holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, was celebrated by Muslims Wednesday with family reunions, new clothes and sweet treats.
In Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country, nearly three-quarters of the population travels for the annual homecoming, known locally as 'mudik', and the event is always greeted with excitement. Masu.
“Mudik is not just an annual ritual or tradition for us,” said Lido Alfian, a civil servant who lives in the Jakarta area. “This is the perfect moment to reconnect, kind of recharge the energy that has been drained for almost a year away from home.”
Alfian, who lives in Tangerang, a satellite city of Jakarta, was driving a van with his family of four to his hometown in Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra, even as heavy traffic jams began to occur on the main highway.
Before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the market was crowded with shoppers buying clothes, shoes, cookies and sweets. People flooded from major cities and returned to their villages to celebrate this holiday with their loved ones. Flights were overbooked and anxious relatives, clutching boxes of presents, formed long lines at bus stops and train stations along the way.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said sales during this year's Eid holiday will reach nearly $10 billion across sectors such as retail, transportation and tourism.
For Alini Dewi, a mother of two, Eid al-Fitr is a day of triumph over the financial difficulties during Ramadan. “Despite the rise in food prices, I am happy to finally be able to celebrate the Eid holiday,” she said.
Former Vice President Yusuf Kalla was among the Jakarta residents offering prayers in the courtyard of Al-Azhar Mosque. “Let us celebrate Eid al-Fitr as a day of victory from many hardships… Of course, there are many social problems in the fasting month of Ramadan, but we can overcome them with faith and piety. ,” Kara said.
On the eve of the holiday known as Takbilan, residents of Jakarta celebrated the eve of Eid al-Fitr by setting off firecrackers on mostly empty streets as the city's residents returned home.
On Wednesday morning, Muslims took part in communal prayers shoulder to shoulder on the streets and inside mosques. Jakarta's Istiklal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, was filled with believers offering morning prayers.
In their sermons, preachers called on people to pray for Muslims in the Gaza Strip, who have suffered through six months of war.
“The time has come for Muslims and non-Muslims to show humanitarian solidarity, because the Gaza conflict is not a religious war, but a humanitarian issue,” said Jimri Asidikye, head of the Indonesian Council of Mosques advisory board.
