Eid Al Fitr (Hari Raya Idul Fitri) 1438 H
Eid Al Fitr 2017
Eid al-Fitr is the celebration at the close of the fasting month of Ramadan, as part of the traditional Islamic calendar.
Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims believe that it was during this month the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The end of Ramadan is greeted with the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr.
Eid is known in Indonesia as Hari Raya Idul Fitri (or more popularly as Lebaran) and is a national holiday.
Lebaran represents one of the largest temporary human migrations globally, as workers particularly return to their home town or city to celebrate with their families and to ask forgiveness from parents, in-laws, and other elders.This is known in Indonesia as mudik (go to udik, literally means: source area) or pulang kampung (homecoming). It is an annual tradition that people observe in big cities such as Greater Jakarta, Surabaya, or elsewhere in Indonesia. The government of Indonesia provides additional transportation to handle the huge amount of travelers.
he night before Idul Fitri is called takbiran, it is filled with the sounds of many muezzin chanting the takbir in the mosques or musallahs, while often people fill the street also chanting takbir. In many parts of Indonesia, especially in the rural areas, obor (torches) and damar/pelita (oil lamps) are lit up and placed outside and around homes. Also, during takbiran, people usually light various firecrackers or fireworks.
On the Lebaran day, after performing Eid prayer in the morning, people dressed in their new or best clothes will gather to greet their family and neighbours. It is common to greet people with “Selamat Idul Fitri” which means “Happy Eid”. Muslims also greet one another with “mohon maaf lahir dan batin”, which literally means “Please forgive (me) outwardly and internally”, because Idul Fitri is not only for celebrations but also a time for atonement to ask for forgiveness for sins which they may have committed but were cleansed as a result of the fasting in the Muslim month of Ramadan. During this Eid morning to afternoon, the zakat alms for the poor are usually distributed in the mosques.Families usually will have special Lebaran meal; special dishes will be served such as ketupat, opor ayam, rendang, sambal goreng ati, sayur lodeh and lemang (a type of glutinous rice cake cooked in bamboo). Various types of kue, cookies and dodol sweet delicacies are also served during this day. Younger families usually visit their older neighbours or relatives to wish and greet them a Happy Eid also to ask for forgiveness. Idul Fitri is a very joyous day for children as adults give them money in colourful envelopes.
