Lebaran

Lebaranis the Indonesian popular name for twoIslamic official holidays,Eid al-FitrandEid al-AdhainIndonesia,and is one of the majornational holidaysin the country.Lebaranholiday officially lasts for two days in the Indonesian calendar, although the government usually declares a few days before and after theLebaranas a bank holiday. Many individuals or families, especiallyMuslimstakepaid time offfrom their workplace during these days.
"Idul Fitri"and"Idul Adha"areIndonesianspelling of Arabic "Eid al-Fitr" and Eid al-Adha. While"lebaran"is localized name for this festive occasion, the etymology is not clear. It is suggested derived fromJavanesewordlebarwhich means "finished",then the word "lebar" is absorbed into Indonesian language with additional suffix "-an", so it becomes a common vocabulary for a celebration when the fasting ritual is "finished", or derived fromSundanesewordlebarwhich means "abundance" or "many" to describe the abundance of foods and delicacies served for visiting guests; family, relatives, neighbors and friends during this festive occasion. Another theory suggested, "lebaran" is derived fromBetawi,lebarwhich means "wide and broad", so the celebration means to broaden or widen one's heart feeling after fasting ritual of Ramadhan.Madurese peoplehave also a similar word calledloberto describe the completion of Ramadhan fast. It is also possible the word 'lebaran' derived from the word luber > luber-an > lebaran, which means overflow or flocking.
The termlebaranusually used specific to describe Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday, however in looser terms it sometimes used to describe similar festivals and celebrations. For example, in Indonesian the termlebaran haji(lit.'Hajj'slebaran') is informally used to describeEid al-Adha, alsolebaran cina(lit.'Chineselebaran') forChinese New Year.Christmashowever, although bearing similarity in abundance of foods, is never referred to aslebaran, but justNatalornatalaninstead.
The wordLebaranwas derived from a Javanese word, and according to Indonesian Muslim scholarUmar Khayam, thelebarantradition was the result of acculturation between Javanese culture and Islam during the 15th century. According to Javanese traditions, the locallebarantradition of Idul Fitri was first started whenSunan Bonang, one of theWali SongoofTubanin 15th-century Java, called for the Muslims to elevate the perfection of their Ramadhan fast by asking forgiveness and forgiving others' wrongdoings.The asking and giving for forgiveness during Eid al-Fitr is quite unique among Indonesian Muslims, and did not occur among Muslims of Middle East, Indian subcontinent or elsewhere. Most of the world's Muslims would only expressEid Mubarak(blessed Eid).
Otherlebarantraditions that are uniquely local and derived from Javanese traditions aresungkemand consumingketupat.Sungkemis the Javanese tradition of asking for blessing and forgiveness from parents, grandparents and elders. The parents sit on a chair while the children and youngsters bow deep with their nose tip touching their hands that rest upon parents' laps. It is a sign of humility, expressing dedication and honoring parents and elders.Another tradition is consumingketupatorkupatin Javanese language. The tradition on preparing and consuming ketupat during lebaran is believed to be introduced bySunan Kalijaga,one of theWali Songowho spread Islam in Java, as it contains some symbolism. It is believed thatkupatmeansngaku lepator "admitting one's mistakes" in Javanese.The crossed weaving of palm leaves symbolizes people's mistakes and sins, and the inner whitish rice cake symbolizes purity and deliverance from sins after observing Ramadhan fast, prayer and rituals.Other than Java, the tradition of consuming ketupat during Eid ul Fitr also can be found throughout Indonesia, from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, to neighboringMalaysia.
Additionally, in IndonesiaIdul Fitrihas a legally mandated salary bonus for all employees, known asTunjangan Hari Raya(THR) as initially enforced by Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration (Kementerian Tenaga Kerja dan Transmigrasi) in the 1950s. The mandated amount of this salary bonus differs by region. For example, within theJakartaregion it must not be less than one month's full salary paid in advance ofIdul Fitri, in addition to the employee's regular salary. Thus, Idul Fitri is also a paid holiday. Breaching or withholding THR is a very serious labour law infraction and is punished severely, regardless of employer status or position.
Other than shopping for typical food andkue kering(cookies) for Lebaran, Indonesians usually buy and wear new clothes and footwear. Shopping malls and bazaars are filled with people to get things for Lebaran such as clothes, footwear, even food to serve days ahead ofIdul Fitri, which creates a distinctive festive atmosphere throughout the country, along with traffic mayhem around shopping malls and marketplaces.
Lebaran also creates special occasions for shopping that often generate seasonal retail business. Retail businesses try to attract shoppers with special Lebaran discounts, Lebaran-themed decorations, and playing joyous Lebaran-themed or Islamic music in their stores. The festive shopping feel is quite similar to Christmas for Christians, but the things bought (usually fashion apparel), are rather for oneself, not as a gift. Many banks, government and private offices are closed for the duration of theLebaranfestivities.
One of the largest temporary human migrations globally is the prevailing custom of theLebaranwhere workers, particularly unskilled labourers such as maids and construction workers, 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 asmudikorpulang kampung(homecoming). It is an annual tradition that people in big cities such asGreater Jakarta,Bandung, orSurabayatravel to their hometowns or other cities to visit relatives, to ask forgiveness, or just to celebrate with the whole family. The government of Indonesia provides additional transportation to handle the massive surge of travellers for several days before and after thelebaran. In 2013 around 30 million people travelled to their hometowns duringlebaran, spending a total of around 90 trillion rupiah (around US$9 billion)from main urban centers to rural areas, pulsing economic opportunities and business from the city to the villages. The numbers of Indonesians who tookmudikorpulang kampungtravel is tremendous, a numbers similar to the whole population of Malaysia travelling simultaneously, causing massive traffic jams and a sudden rise of demand and volume of intercity transportation.
The impact is huge, as millions of cars and motorcycles jam the roads and highways, causing kilometres of traffic jams each year.This massive annual congestion usually occurs along Java'sNorthern Coast Road. Additionally, the wealthier classes often go to local hotels or overseas to accommodate the absence of their domestic servants, drivers and even security guards. Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian hotels have been particularly successful in marketing lucrativeLebaranorIdul Fitri"escape packages".
The night before Idul Fitri is calledtakbiran, filled with the sounds ofbedugdrums and manymuezzinchanting thetakbirin the mosques or musallahs. In larger cities people fill the streets and chant takbir from their cars and motorcycles, often creating more traffic jams. In some instances fireworks and firecrackers are ignited, but this is discouraged by police as it could be dangerous to light these explosives over the crowd. In many parts of Indonesia, especially in rural areas,pelita,obororlampu tempel(oil lamps, similar to tiki torches) are lit and placed outside and around homes. Some cities, such as Yogyakarta, organize a festive annual parade featuring colorful Islamic-themed lantern-like floats.
On the Lebaran day, after performing theEid prayerin 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 means "Forgive my physical and emotional (wrongdoings)", because Idul Fitri is not only for celebrations but also a time foratonementto ask for forgiveness for sins which have been cleansed as a result of the fasting in the Muslim month of Ramadan. From morning to afternoon, thezakatalms for the poor are distributed in mosques.
Families usually have a special Lebaran meal served during breakfast, brunch or lunch; special dishes includeketupat,oporayam,rendang, sambal goreng ati,sayur lodehandlemang(a type ofglutinous ricecake cooked in bamboo). Various types of snacks such as roasted peanuts,kue, kue kering (cookies) especiallykaasstengels,nastarandputri salju,dodoland importeddatessweet delicacies are served during the day, together with fruit syrup beverages.
The lively or alternatively very emotional devotional music blended with Quranic verses associated with Ramadan and Eid – known asKaisidahor more correctly,Qasida– can be heard throughout the country. These are commonly performed by famous musicians, some of whom may be international stars, and televised nationwide.
Younger families usually visit their older neighbours or relatives to wish them a happy Eid and to ask for forgiveness. During these visits, it is a customs for older, established or married couple to giveuang lebaran, a small amount of money, to their own children, as well as those of relatives and neighbours. Idul Fitri is a joyous day for children, as adults give them money in colourful envelopes. Indonesian banks andBank Indonesiausually open some money changer counters to change larger to smaller denominations several days prior to Lebaran. The denominations may vary from 1,000 to 10,000 rupiah. The sudden rise of demand for goods (especially food) and services (especially transportation), and the pulsing and distribution of newly printed small denominationbank notesfrom the central bank, gives the Indonesian economy a seasonalinflationannually.
It is customary forMuslim-Indonesiansto wear traditional clothing on Eid al-Fitr. The male outfit is known asbaju koko: a collarless long- or short-sleeve shirt with traditional embroidered designs with a "kilt"sarungofsongket,ikator similar woven, plaid-cloth. Alternatively, they may wear Western-style business suits or more traditional loose-fitting trousers with colour-matched shirts, and apecihat or regional cultural headwear and songkok. TheMalayvariant worn in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei,Southern Thailandand parts of Indonesia (especiallySumateraandKalimantan) is known as theBaju Melayu, shirt worn with asarongknown askain sampingorsongketand a headwear known assongkok.
Traditional female dress is known askebaya kurung. It consists of, normally, a loose-fittingkebayablouse (which may be enhanced withbrocadeandembroidery), a longskirtboth of which may bebatik, or thesarungskirt made ofbatik, ikat or songket and for some women either thejilbab(hijab) or its variant the stiffenedkerudungVeil.
Non-AustronesianMuslims, or even non-Muslims may don costumes of their respective culture and tradition, orIslamic clothesto show respect to their relatives' or friends' differing religious beliefs for the occasion. This is particularly common in Indonesia, where many families have close friends or relatives of differing faiths, namelyCatholic, someProtestant, someHindu,Buddhistand Muslim, or evenConfucian.
It is common for many Muslims in Indonesia to visit the graves of loved ones several days beforeRamadhan. During this visit, they clean the grave, reciteYa-Seen, a chapter (sura) from the Quran and perform thetahlilceremony. These are done as a means to ask God to forgive both the dead and the living for their sins. The Javanese majority of Indonesia are known for their pre-IslamicKejawentraditions of washing the headstone using scented water from the traditionalterracottawater-jug, thekendi, and sprinkling hyacinth and jasmine over the graves.
Several days after lebaran are usually marked witharus balik(returning waves) ofmudik lebaran(lebaran home-coming). People return to cities of their workplaces from their hometowns, and just like themudik lebaranit creates massive temporary migrations that require large amounts of transportation for travellers and often results in gridlock traffic.
In Indonesia there is a special ritual calledhalal bi-halal. During this, Indonesian Muslims visit their elders, in the family, the neighborhood, or their work, and show respect to them. This may be done during or several days after Idul Fitri. Usually core family and neighbors are visited on the first day of Idul Fitri, further relatives on the next day, and colleagues in days to weeks later after they get back to work. They will also seek reconciliation (if needed), and preserve or restore harmonious relations.