This drone picture taken shows Indonesian Muslims praying on the first night of the holy month of Ramadan at the Baiturrahman Mosque in Banda Aceh, in Aceh province, on 5 May 2019 (CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP).

From cleaning up relatives’ graves and sharing food with the poor to holding colourful torch-lit street parades, millions of Indonesians are getting ready to welcome the holy month of Ramadan in the world’s populous Muslim-majority country.

Ramadan begins on Monday, with devotees fasting from dawn to dusk until Eid celebrations marking the end of the holy month.

In the conservative province of Aceh, Muslim families break their fast by eating meat together and sharing the meal with the poor, in a centuries-old tradition known as Meugang.

As customers lined up in wait, butchers in the western province were busy at work, chopping bones and slicing meat.

“It’s a tradition that we must follow, I’ll cook rendang and eat with my family,” Ramla, who like many Indonesians has only one name, told AFP, referring to a popular beef stew.

In the capital Jakarta, thousands of Muslims marked the holy month by visiting cemeteries to clean up their relatives’ graves and pray for the departed so they would get peace in the afterlife.

Outside, flower sellers set up makeshift tents to sell blossoms to visitors so they could scatter petals on their relatives’ graves.

“Before the fasting month begins we usually visit each other, but we don’t only visit the living ones, we also visit the dead,” said Cepi Imamsyah Arian Tandjung, who was visiting the graves of his parents, brother and uncle.

About 90 per cent of Indonesia’s 270 million people follow Islam but influences from other religions are deeply ingrained in the country, including “Nyadran”, a Javanese ritual heavily influenced by Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

In Temanggung in Central Java, over a thousand people joined Nyadran celebrations, carrying a round basket filled with food on top of their heads before sharing in a communal feast.

In Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta, hundreds of locals bathed in a spring or a river, taking part in a cleansing ritual known as “Padusan” to purify oneself before entering the holy month.

In North Sumatra, locals including children wearing traditional dress chanted prayers as they held a torch-lit procession to make the start of Ramadan. – AFP

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

ASEAN at a ‘crossroad’ as Myanmar violence escalates

Southeast Asian nations are facing a critical moment as violence in Myanmar dominates discussions at a regional summit. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been leading diplomatic efforts to address the crisis, but the junta’s refusal to engage with opposition groups and the recent air strike that killed many people have increased pressure on ASEAN to take stronger action. Critics argue that ASEAN’s previous initiatives have been ineffective, and there are calls for the bloc to cut off the military’s cash flow and push for reform. The shooting incident targeting an ASEAN convoy in Myanmar further raises the urgency of addressing the situation. However, ASEAN’s limited authority and principles of consensus and non-interference have hindered its ability to take decisive action.

Pompeo urges Southeast Asia to shun South China Sea firms

Washington’s top diplomat urged Southeast Asia on Thursday to cut ties with…

Indonesia government to allow “mudik” despite high risk of furthering COVID-19 spread

The government of Indonesia has decided to allow mudik — or the…

“We don’t choose our neighbours,” but Singapore has to deal with Malaysia and Indonesia constructively and respectfully: PM Lee

While Singapore’s relationship with Malaysia and Indonesia might not always be smooth-sailing,…