Yakarta, Indonesia – Muslims in Indonesia buy new sweets and new clothes and participate in traditional festivities as millions mark the beginning of the Sacred Month of Ramadan, will begin on Saturday.
The celebrations in the most populous Muslim majority of the world range from colorful night parades and cleaning family tombs to prepare food for breakfast prior to breakfasts and meals made after the investment known as “Iftars”.
Each region of the vast nation of the 17,000 island archipelago has its own way of marking the beginning of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to sunset throughout the month.
Even a small sip of water or a snack of smoke is enough to invalidate fasting. At night, family and friends gather and festive in a festive atmosphere.
The Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, announced Friday that Ramadan will begin on Saturday after Islamic Astronomy Observers confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon in the westernmost province of Aceh in Indonesia.
Shortly after the announcement, the mosques were flooded with devotees that offered night sentences known as “Tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan. In the great Istiqlal mosque of Yakarta, the largest in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of faithful are crowded on the shoulder to shoulder.
Fasting aims to bring the faithful to God and remind them of the suffering of the poor. Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and participate in greater religious contemplation. They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fights or curses during the holy month.
Samsul Anwar, his wife and 8 -year -old nephew were among hundreds of people who participated in a torch parade through the streets of their neighborhood in Tangerang, a city on the outskirts of the capital of Yakarta, on Wednesday after the prayers at night.
They carried torches, lit flags and played Islamic songs accompanied by the rhythm of rebana, the Arabic hand percussion instrument, while walking through the narrow streets of the densely populated neighborhood.
“We welcome Ramadan every year with a tradition that has been transmitted from generation to generation,” said Anwar.
The Chinese Indonesian communities also participated in the parade carrying out the vibrant “Barongsai” or “Lion dance”, a prominent part of the Chinese New Year celebration, to the sound of the battery and trumpets.
Barongsai’s performance “was also considered to show unity between the religious communities of Chinese and Muslims, with the aim of increasing religious tolerance,” said Anwar.
It is also an exciting moment for business. Hotels, restaurants and coffee shops prepare special promotions of Ramadan, and buyers go to shopping centers for new clothing and home decorations for Eid al-Fitr holidays, which marks the end of Ramadan. Children often receive new clothes and gifts.
However, some Muslims care about how they will fix them financially during Ramadan this year amid high prices.
“Everything that has to do with the kitchen is increasing (in cost) day by day,” said like Mulyawati, a mother of two children who lives on the outside of Tangorang in Yakarta. “I worry that this situation affects Ramadan’s celebrations.”
Despite the high food prices in the last month, popular markets such as Tanah Abang in Yakarta were full of buyers buying clothes, shoes, cookies and sweets before vacations.
The Ministry of Commerce of Indonesia has said that the prices of imported basic foods, including wheat, sugar, beef and soybeans, have increased considerably this year as a result of the increase in world prices of basic products and supply chain interruptions.
But many people say that the increase in prices not only impacts imported foods, but also local products such as rice, eggs, chili, palm oil and onions. Many also blame the government for increasing gas and electricity prices.
“The current Ms. And the extreme climate recently also contributes to high prices and the weakening of people’s purchasing power, “said Heru Tatok, a merchant in the Senen market from Yakarta.
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Associated Press Andi Jatmiko and Tatan Syuflana journalists in Yakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
