After one month of dawn-to-sunset Fasting during the entire month of Ramadhan, on Sunday, 19 August 2012, Moslems in Indonesia celebrated the Eid Ul Fitr.
According to Wikipedia, Eid is an Arabic word meaning "Festivity", while Fitr means "Breaking the Fast".
In Indonesia, Eid Ul Fitr is known as Hari Raya Idul Fitri or Lebaran and celebrated for two to three days. Many people of Indonesian big cities return to their hometown to celebrate the festive. For which purpose, most employers provide special bonus and long holidays to their workers. Some employers even provide free transportation v.v for their workers.
This year, many workers spend holidays from 17 August (our Independence Day) to 26 August.
Before the festive, we Moslems voluntarily paid financial contribution known as the Zakat i.e. an Arabic word that means "that which purifies" or "alms". The amount of Zakat depends on the financial capability of the Moslem concerned.
The Eid festive began with Moslems performing Eid Prayer and listened to Sermon in mosques from 7 am until around 8 am. Afterwards, we shook hands with each other, apologize and forgive each other.
After that we went to visit our parents and other elderly people like uncles, aunts, employers, etc.
Considering that many citizens of Jakarta went home to their hometown, citizens who stay in the city, including me, enjoyed traffic-jam-free streets.
In this connection, I would like to wish my fellow Moslems a Happy Hari Raya Idul Fitri, and apologize for any mistake that I may have made. God Bless Us All.
Showing posts with label Eid / Lebaran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eid / Lebaran. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Thursday, September 1, 2011
My 2nd. Day of Eid
Today is the second day of Eid Ul-Fitr celebration for me and most Moslems in Indonesia.
I stayed at home to rest for a while after yesterday spending the whole day from early morning until evening starting from the Eid Prayer at 7 a.m in a mosque not far away from my home, to my mother and elder relatives' homes.
Day before yesterday I went to a mosque near my old house in Bintaro to pay Zakat (English = alms), a ritual before Eid whereby we donate certain portion (2.5%) of our treasure to be distributed to poor people.
What really surprised me was that the traffic condition was not as empty as I have predicted, on the contrary many of the roads including toll roads were badly jammed especially in the afternoon. This is because people are going to their families, relatives, friends.
According to the news on TVs, recreational sites like the Ancol Beach resort, Ragunan Zoo and Taman Mini Indonesia were full of visitors like in previous years.
This morning I weigh myself on the the bathroom scale and saw that my weight is 5 kg.lower than before the Ramadhan fasting 30 days ago. That's quite good. I hope that I can lose more weight, but it would not be an easy thing to do because during Eid celebration there are lots of delicious food available at my home and at the homes of people that I will visit.It would not be easy to resist.
I stayed at home to rest for a while after yesterday spending the whole day from early morning until evening starting from the Eid Prayer at 7 a.m in a mosque not far away from my home, to my mother and elder relatives' homes.
Day before yesterday I went to a mosque near my old house in Bintaro to pay Zakat (English = alms), a ritual before Eid whereby we donate certain portion (2.5%) of our treasure to be distributed to poor people.
What really surprised me was that the traffic condition was not as empty as I have predicted, on the contrary many of the roads including toll roads were badly jammed especially in the afternoon. This is because people are going to their families, relatives, friends.
According to the news on TVs, recreational sites like the Ancol Beach resort, Ragunan Zoo and Taman Mini Indonesia were full of visitors like in previous years.
This morning I weigh myself on the the bathroom scale and saw that my weight is 5 kg.lower than before the Ramadhan fasting 30 days ago. That's quite good. I hope that I can lose more weight, but it would not be an easy thing to do because during Eid celebration there are lots of delicious food available at my home and at the homes of people that I will visit.It would not be easy to resist.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Happy Eid Ul Fitr 1432H
Today is the last day of Ramadhan for me and most Moslems in Indonesia and tomorrow we shall celebrate the Hari Raya Eid Ul Fitr / Lebaran.
In spite of this fact, I also have high respect for fellow Moslems who are celebrating Eid Ul Fitr today.
I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Hari Raya Eid Ul Fitr 1432 Hijrah, and sincerely hope that in the future Moslem leaders in Indonesia would want to be united for the very best interests of the people and the country, so that we can all have a single celebration.
I also hope that this Eid would bring Peace, Prosperity, Happiness and Healthiness to all of us in particular and human beings in general.
In spite of this fact, I also have high respect for fellow Moslems who are celebrating Eid Ul Fitr today.
I wish each and everyone of you a Happy Hari Raya Eid Ul Fitr 1432 Hijrah, and sincerely hope that in the future Moslem leaders in Indonesia would want to be united for the very best interests of the people and the country, so that we can all have a single celebration.
I also hope that this Eid would bring Peace, Prosperity, Happiness and Healthiness to all of us in particular and human beings in general.
Jakarta Temporarily Quiet
From 27 August until 4 September most of the 9.5 million citizens of Jakarta spend their Eid/Lebaran holidays, around half of them left the city and celebrate in their hometowns.
This exodus will bring some good effects to citizens who stay in Jakarta i.e. the city would become more quiet, almost no traffic jam, and have cleaner environment..
Beside the good things that I mentioned above, citizens who stayed in the city will face some awkward things i.e. they have to do all the works at home because most of their maids a.k.a domestic helpers, left for their hometown for one to two weeks.
Substitute maids are available for temporary hire at the cost ranging from Rp 100.000 to Rp 175.000 per day (minimum 14 days).
Moreover, people's tradition to visit elder members of their family during Eid would make their homes and surroundings empty and unguarded, making them easy prey for thieves to take advantage of the situation.
What I usually do is that whenever I hire a substitute maid I would report to the security guards in my
neighborhood and ask one of the guards to keep an eye on my home.
In this case I would give him tips, and also make sure that I would not leave my home for a very long time..
This exodus will bring some good effects to citizens who stay in Jakarta i.e. the city would become more quiet, almost no traffic jam, and have cleaner environment..
Beside the good things that I mentioned above, citizens who stayed in the city will face some awkward things i.e. they have to do all the works at home because most of their maids a.k.a domestic helpers, left for their hometown for one to two weeks.
Substitute maids are available for temporary hire at the cost ranging from Rp 100.000 to Rp 175.000 per day (minimum 14 days).
Moreover, people's tradition to visit elder members of their family during Eid would make their homes and surroundings empty and unguarded, making them easy prey for thieves to take advantage of the situation.
What I usually do is that whenever I hire a substitute maid I would report to the security guards in my
neighborhood and ask one of the guards to keep an eye on my home.
In this case I would give him tips, and also make sure that I would not leave my home for a very long time..
The Twin Eid Ul Fitr
This evening the Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadarma Ali announced that the Eid Ul Fitr would be on Wednesday 31 August.therefore one day later than predicted by many people.
The Minister made the decision after meeting with relevant institutions including the Indonesian Islamic Cleric Council (MUI) based on the reports of a team of astronomers in 80 locations in the country
With this decision, there will be two Eid Ul Fitr celebrations in Indonesia, i.e.Tuesday which will be celebrated by the second largest Moslem organization Muhammadiyah, and Wednesday which will be celebrated by most Moslems including the largest Moslem organization Nahdatul Ulama (NU).
I hope that this difference would not create other differences among both organizations as has been promised by their leaders.
The Minister made the decision after meeting with relevant institutions including the Indonesian Islamic Cleric Council (MUI) based on the reports of a team of astronomers in 80 locations in the country
With this decision, there will be two Eid Ul Fitr celebrations in Indonesia, i.e.Tuesday which will be celebrated by the second largest Moslem organization Muhammadiyah, and Wednesday which will be celebrated by most Moslems including the largest Moslem organization Nahdatul Ulama (NU).
I hope that this difference would not create other differences among both organizations as has been promised by their leaders.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The Last Days of Ramadhan
It has been more than one week since I last up dated this blog.
There's only one reason for that i.e. my mind has been 100% focused on finishing a whole lot of works at the office.
Today, me and many others in Jakarta and vicinity start our long holidays in connection with the Eid Ul Fitr celebration at the end of August. As in previous years, millions of people have started to leave the city to celebrate in their hometowns.
Although most of the schools in Jakarta and vicinity have closed since last week for a long holiday until 5 September, but the traffic was still jammed, and many car accidents happened in the toll road. Maybe its because the weather was hot during those days.
Lots of things happened during my absence from the blogosphere, among others, bribery suspect Nazaruddin refused to talk to the Corruption Eradication Commission, and told President SBY that he is willing to go to jail as long as his wife and kids are not disturbed.
There was the plan of the state electricity company PLN to import Natural Gas, which is very weird because Indonesia is one of the largest exporter of Natural Gas in the world.
There was also the actions of the violent organization FPI that raided restaurants which opened during day time. Their latest action was forcing SCTV to stop showing the movie " ? " which they claimed to be against Islam.
Beside the above, the third week of Ramadhan has also effects on me i.e. I lose 4 kilogram of my body weight. I hope that I can lose more before Eid Ul Fitr which according to the Minister of Religion could be next Wednesday 31 August.
There's only one reason for that i.e. my mind has been 100% focused on finishing a whole lot of works at the office.
Today, me and many others in Jakarta and vicinity start our long holidays in connection with the Eid Ul Fitr celebration at the end of August. As in previous years, millions of people have started to leave the city to celebrate in their hometowns.
Although most of the schools in Jakarta and vicinity have closed since last week for a long holiday until 5 September, but the traffic was still jammed, and many car accidents happened in the toll road. Maybe its because the weather was hot during those days.
Lots of things happened during my absence from the blogosphere, among others, bribery suspect Nazaruddin refused to talk to the Corruption Eradication Commission, and told President SBY that he is willing to go to jail as long as his wife and kids are not disturbed.
There was the plan of the state electricity company PLN to import Natural Gas, which is very weird because Indonesia is one of the largest exporter of Natural Gas in the world.
There was also the actions of the violent organization FPI that raided restaurants which opened during day time. Their latest action was forcing SCTV to stop showing the movie " ? " which they claimed to be against Islam.
Beside the above, the third week of Ramadhan has also effects on me i.e. I lose 4 kilogram of my body weight. I hope that I can lose more before Eid Ul Fitr which according to the Minister of Religion could be next Wednesday 31 August.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Happy Eid Ul Fitr 1431H
To all my Muslim Friends and Readers of this blog, I wish you all a Happy Eid Ul Fitr.
Selamat Hari Raya Lebaran, Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin.
Image : Courtesy of Eid-Mubarak.net
Monday, September 6, 2010
My Ramadhan Evaluation
Three weeks have passed since the holy month of Ramadhan began on 11 August 2010, and during that time Muslims around the world have fasted every day from dawn to dusk.
Beside not eating and drinking fasting people should control their emotion, sexual desires and always be wise in whatever they say and do. Beside that, certain percentage of our annual income should be contributed to help poor people.
In Indonesia, this holy month has been marred by the sea border incident between Indonesia and Malaysia that led to anti-Malaysia protests by group of people claiming to be defender of sovereignty using vulgar and irrational methods, which are absolutely against the spirit of Ramadhan, e.g throwing human feces to the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta and demanding for war.
But thank goodness, religious groups who used to love violence seemed to be rather calm this time.
Further, there were protests against corruption related matters, like President SBY's granting of remission to corruption criminals including the father-in-law of SBY's eldest son, and the announcement of Corruption Erradication Commission (KPK) about politicians who were named as suspects in Bribery case.
Besides, there was the bloody clash between citizens and the Police at the town of Buol, Central Sulawesi Province, caused by the mysterious death of a Police detainee.
Furthermore, there were the natural disasters i.e. eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, and the heavy rain falls that inundated many places, including parts of Jakarta.
On the personal front, although I always fast i.e. not eat and drink everyday, however I have not been so successful in fulfilling my other Ramadhan obligations e.g controlling emotions, words and acts.
The difference is that every time I did it, I immediately aware of my mistake and therefore able to apologize to people who I thought might have been hurt by what I have said and done.
Now that we still have three more days of Ramadhan, before Eid Ul Fitr on 10 September, and starting today I am taking my Hari Raya Lebaran holidays until 14 September, I hope that I would be able to improve the quality of my fasting.
Beside not eating and drinking fasting people should control their emotion, sexual desires and always be wise in whatever they say and do. Beside that, certain percentage of our annual income should be contributed to help poor people.
In Indonesia, this holy month has been marred by the sea border incident between Indonesia and Malaysia that led to anti-Malaysia protests by group of people claiming to be defender of sovereignty using vulgar and irrational methods, which are absolutely against the spirit of Ramadhan, e.g throwing human feces to the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta and demanding for war.
But thank goodness, religious groups who used to love violence seemed to be rather calm this time.
Further, there were protests against corruption related matters, like President SBY's granting of remission to corruption criminals including the father-in-law of SBY's eldest son, and the announcement of Corruption Erradication Commission (KPK) about politicians who were named as suspects in Bribery case.
Besides, there was the bloody clash between citizens and the Police at the town of Buol, Central Sulawesi Province, caused by the mysterious death of a Police detainee.
Furthermore, there were the natural disasters i.e. eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, and the heavy rain falls that inundated many places, including parts of Jakarta.
On the personal front, although I always fast i.e. not eat and drink everyday, however I have not been so successful in fulfilling my other Ramadhan obligations e.g controlling emotions, words and acts.
The difference is that every time I did it, I immediately aware of my mistake and therefore able to apologize to people who I thought might have been hurt by what I have said and done.
Now that we still have three more days of Ramadhan, before Eid Ul Fitr on 10 September, and starting today I am taking my Hari Raya Lebaran holidays until 14 September, I hope that I would be able to improve the quality of my fasting.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Exodus during Hari Raya holidays
On 10 September Muslims all over the world will be celebrating Ied Ul Fitr a.k.a Hari Raya Lebaran after completing 30 days of fasting in the month of Ramadhan.
In Indonesia, people celebrate Hari Raya Lebaran with their families in their home town. Millions of people city dwellers originating from out of town would spend the holidays in their home town. For which purpose offices, schools, and many factories, shops, would be closed for a long holiday i.e. one week before and several days after Hari Raya.
The exodus of many people from city/town would bring positive and negative effects for those who remain. The positive side is that the city/town would not be as crowded as the way it used to be and the roads would be very convenient, free of traffic jam.
The negative side is that security in the city/town would be quite risky as described in the article below that I have quoted from Kompas..
In Indonesia, people celebrate Hari Raya Lebaran with their families in their home town. Millions of people city dwellers originating from out of town would spend the holidays in their home town. For which purpose offices, schools, and many factories, shops, would be closed for a long holiday i.e. one week before and several days after Hari Raya.
The exodus of many people from city/town would bring positive and negative effects for those who remain. The positive side is that the city/town would not be as crowded as the way it used to be and the roads would be very convenient, free of traffic jam.
The negative side is that security in the city/town would be quite risky as described in the article below that I have quoted from Kompas..
This Should be Warning for Indonesians on The Brink of Lebaran
Jumat, 3 September 2010 | 14:43 WIB
CILEGON, KOMPAS.com - Residents are called on to reactivate neighborhood security system (Siskamling) in Cilegon, Banten, as thefts have begun to increase in the runup to the post-fasting Lebaran festivities, police said.
"We have just arrested a thief who stole properties in the house of a resident in Jombang Wetan village in Cilegon," Head of Cilegon Police Precinct Adjunct Snr Com Dadang Rahardja said here on Friday.
He said that without waiting, police speedily took actions to hunt the thief as soon as they had received a report from a local resident named Lalan Marlina. Dadang said that the theft was carried out by four thieves but only one of them was arrested. Police were still hunting three others.
The thieves succeeded in making off a cash of Rp4 million and a computer’s CPU and LCD. In the face of Idul Fitri holidays, many houses are often left vacant by their owners who returned to their home town to have reunions with relatives or families.
Millions of seasonal passengers travel to their home town to have family reunions during the annual post-fasting Lebaran holidays. During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year, the number of home-bound travelers reached about 27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles.
"We have just arrested a thief who stole properties in the house of a resident in Jombang Wetan village in Cilegon," Head of Cilegon Police Precinct Adjunct Snr Com Dadang Rahardja said here on Friday.
He said that without waiting, police speedily took actions to hunt the thief as soon as they had received a report from a local resident named Lalan Marlina. Dadang said that the theft was carried out by four thieves but only one of them was arrested. Police were still hunting three others.
The thieves succeeded in making off a cash of Rp4 million and a computer’s CPU and LCD. In the face of Idul Fitri holidays, many houses are often left vacant by their owners who returned to their home town to have reunions with relatives or families.
Millions of seasonal passengers travel to their home town to have family reunions during the annual post-fasting Lebaran holidays. During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year, the number of home-bound travelers reached about 27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Eid Holiday Blues
I feel Good! that's how I felt when I drove my car to the office this morning.
After ten days of Eid holidays, I have every reason to feel good inside and out.
However, I am very sad that many people do not share the same feeling as I do in spending the holidays. As matter of fact many people are now in deep grievance due to the death of 576 people, 637 people badly injured and 1,397 lightly injured. For detailed media report on this matter, please click here.
According to the Minister of Communication the death and injuries are mostly caused by transportation accidents, and the number of death has decreased to 50% compared to last year.
Considering the above, I felt that actually the deathly accidents can be avoided or at least be minimized if the transportation and traffic authorities have been more strict in imposing the safety regulations. But the most important is that the travellers should pay very careful attention to their own safety i.e. by making sure that all safety requirements have been met before they start traveling.
After ten days of Eid holidays, I have every reason to feel good inside and out.
However, I am very sad that many people do not share the same feeling as I do in spending the holidays. As matter of fact many people are now in deep grievance due to the death of 576 people, 637 people badly injured and 1,397 lightly injured. For detailed media report on this matter, please click here.
According to the Minister of Communication the death and injuries are mostly caused by transportation accidents, and the number of death has decreased to 50% compared to last year.Considering the above, I felt that actually the deathly accidents can be avoided or at least be minimized if the transportation and traffic authorities have been more strict in imposing the safety regulations. But the most important is that the travellers should pay very careful attention to their own safety i.e. by making sure that all safety requirements have been met before they start traveling.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Eid Holidays
On Sunday, 20 September, Muslims around the world celebrated the Victory Day of Eid Ul Fitr which marks the end of one month of fasting from dawn to dusk in the Holy month of Ramadhan.
In Indonesia, the special day is also called Hari Raya Lebaran officially celebrated on 20and 21 September. It started with Eid Prayer at 7 pm. and Muslims would offer forgiveness to each other.
In Jakarta whose population mostly orginated from other provinces, the streets are usually almost empty until 4-5 days after Lebaran, because around half of the city's population went to their hometown or holiday to other provinces or overseas.
As for me, I started Lebaran by praying at a mosque located around 300 meters from my home, afterwards visit my parents' home and then to my elder sister's home.
Yesterday and today I did not go anywhere, just stay at home watching TV, read books and browsing the internet. Actually I want to go to the beach resort in Anyer, or Thousand Island resort, or Bandung, but unfortunately the hotels are fully booked. Beside that, another reason that kept me from leaving the city is because my servants
went to their hometown in Central Java and will be back here on the 28 September, that's the time when I will start working again.
I hope that this year's Hari Raya Lebaran will bring Peace and Joy to all Muslims as well as non Muslims in Indonesia and other parts of the world.
Photo: Courtesy of Portaltiga/J.Valentino
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