As this issue of The Bali Advertiser hits the streets, the Indonesian nation is half way through the holy fasting month known as Ramadan. Since 21 August, most of the country’s Muslim population have been abstaining from food and drink between the hours of sunrise and sunset, as part of their commitment to their religious beliefs.
While daytime fasting in the hot and sunny Lombok weather can be a major test of discipline, the breaking of the fast at sunset and social activities during the cool nights is a time of much happiness for local Muslims. Because Ramadan is seen as a time of peace and new beginnings, healing old wounds and celebrating friendships is important. At night, many people gather in each other’s homes; eating and drinking together, sometimes praying or reading the Koran, or just spending special time with friends and family.
Most of the Muslims I know tell me that the last two weeks are the easiest part of Ramadan, since their bodies have already adjusted to the daytime fasting and the pattern has become “normal”. It’s also made easier because they know that the end is in sight and soon, they can celebrate the completion of a successful fast with the biggest event in the Muslim calendar: Idul Fitri.
Idul Fitri (also called Eid El Fitr in other parts of the world) or Lebaran, on 21 and 22 September marks the end of the fasting month and is a time of joyous celebrations across Indonesia. For the week before and after, the nation’s transport systems are stretched to the limit as millions of people living across the archipelago try to get home to spend the special time with family and friends.
Idul Fitri is marked by the special greeting of “Minta Maaf, Lahir dan Batin” which literally translates as “I ask your forgiveness, body and soul”, as a way of making amends for any wrong-doings over the previous year. In this way, problems or disagreements are put in the past and the slate is wiped clean, ready to start a new year with better intentions toward each other.
Similar to Christmas and New Year in the west, this is the time for giving presents, getting dressed up in your best clothes (“baju baru” or new clothes is the catch cry for the week before Idul Fitri and the local stores are packed with shoppers buying new clothes), and visiting family and friends both to ask forgiveness with the traditional greeting and to celebrate the successful completion of the fast.
All across Lombok, friends and families will be gathering in each other’s homes, laughing and sharing the special foods that are customary at Lebaran. Delicious dishes of Opor Ayam (a chicken curry cooked in coconut milk), Nasi Kuning (rice spiced with turmeric), and other savoury foods, together with a wide variety of cakes and special biscuits (Jajan) that the ladies have been busily baking, are all spread before visiting guests. If you are invited to celebrate at local homes during this time, don’t miss the chance to enjoy the delicious traditional treats and the warm hospitality being offered!
Another special event not to be missed is the Takbiran Parade that takes place on the last night of Ramadan.
Pawai Takbiran is celebrated throughout the towns and villages of Lombok in recognition of the successful completion of the fasting month, with the main parade finishing at the Lapangan Mataram, the park opposite the Governor’s office in the city.
Local communities gather together in the days beforehand to construct miniature models of their mosques, holy characters and other Islamic symbols. Some of the models are quite elaborate, featuring detailed reconstructions of mosques complete with minarets and carefully painted domes. On the night before Idul Fitri, these models are paraded on floats through the streets and towns, accompanied by music, laughter and light-hearted frivolity.
Takbiran itself is traditionally a “lantern festival”, or a festival of light, and lights feature highly in the parades. Mosques are lit from within, giant reconstructions of the Kabbah in Mecca glow with fairy lights, a shining Noah’s Ark sails through the crowd, and smiling people dressed in traditional Islamic clothing carry huge glowing letters spelling out words from the Qur’an. Carts carrying portable generators follow the floats, linked by a mind-boggling trail of looping electrical cords to keep everything lit brightly.
The parade culminates in the park with hundreds of the Takbiran floats and displays lighting up the night. Musicians on stage accompany the arrival of each float with traditional drumming and chanting, forming a hypnotic backbeat to the excitement of the crowd. As hundreds of brightly lit floats and displays fill the park, fireworks explode overhead and the crescendo of drumming and chanting reaches its powerful peak. It’s an awesome event, and the festival atmosphere makes Takbiran an exciting spectacle to witness if you happen to be in Lombok on the last night of Ramadan. Like most of the Ramadan celebrations, tourists and visitors are most welcome… bring your camera!
