The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Yogyakarta
The Islamic New Year, or the first day of the month of Muharam, was commemorated on Friday and Saturday, with prayers for safety following a series of disasters.
The welcoming of the dawn of 1428 Hijriyah by the Islamic calender was a time for solemnity and introspection as thousands spent Friday night at prayer gatherings. Others prayed and mediated individually in the tradition of tirakat, to be followed by a few days of fasting starting Sunday.
It is also an annual festival, especially in Central and East Java, where tourists share the excitement of the parades and the throngs seeking a morsel from food offerings, through which the faithful believe they can get a share of the blessings.
The first day of Muharam coincides with 1 Suro in the Javanese calender, leading to a combination of Islamic and pre-Islamic traditions, reinforced by the influence of Java's remaining royal courts.
The coincidence of the Islamic and Javanese New Year was an invention of the third king of the Mataram kingdom, Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo, and became effective in 1633, according to the Indonesian National Encyclopedia. He intended to unite a kingdom in which people were either Hindu or Muslim.
Rituals, including the washing of heirlooms considered sacred, such as daggers (keris), and the preparation of offerings, are part of the Javanese Gerebek Suro tradition to mark the New Year, which fell on Saturday this year.
A series of disasters around the country -- landslides, ferry accidents, a missing airplane with 102 passengers onboard, apart altogether from the earthquakes and tsunamis -- have provided good justification for emphasizing the element of ruwatan (rituals to exorcise evil spirits, or ill-fortune), as part of the ceremonies to welcome the New Year.
In Yogyakarta, victims of last year's earthquake in Bantul prepared the customary rice cone and chickens, to be distributed to all residents.
""We engaged in tirakatan (night-long prayers and mediation) so our country can be free of all the disasters and accidents, such as the recent incidents,"" said Sagiman, a local in Bantul.
Residents of a neighboring area said they held prayers around a local lake.
Like previous years, thousands joined the ""parade of silence"" (topo bisu), walking around the palace compound for a distance of some 7 kilometers. The parade started at midnight.
In Jakarta, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a speech to mark the Islamic New Year at the Istiqlal mosque, called on people to ""be patient, strong and keep working.""
""I am sure with Allah's will, however hard the problems we face, we will be able to get through them,"" he said.
The country's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, urged Muslims ""to avoid actions that could invoke God's anger"", such as ""lying, damaging the harmony of nature and engaging in corruption,"" Antara reported. Seeking to repent and trying to be honest would help people get closer to the Almighty, the NU statement said.
Night-long wayang shows also drew crowds, and recreational sites such as beaches and zoos were full of people enjoying the long holiday.
-- Slamet Susanto contributed to this story from Yogyakarta.
