T

he Sasak – the indigenous tribespeople of Lombok Island – have their own unique way of marking the end of the compulsory Ramadhan fast and the optional Syawal fasts, by celebrating Lebaran Topat or Lebaran Ketupat.

Thousands of tribespeople thus celebrated on Sunday by flocking to mosques in their respective villages and visiting the graves of ancient Islamic preachers. Some got there by public transportation, others drove private cars, rode motorcycles, or even went on foot.

At the Batulayar cemetery in West Lombok, some two kilometers from the renowned Senggigi Beach, for example, thousands of people from across the island had since morning been seen crowding the site believed to be the grave of Syeikh Sayid Al Duhri Al Hadad, a Yemeni preacher of the 17th Century.

“I’ve never missed coming here a single year, I hope for a good luck,” Istiyah, a visitor from Kekait, West Lombok, said.

After visiting the graves people usually spend the rest of the day visiting relatives or recreational destinations, mostly beaches, around the graveyards.

It was hardly surprising that the island’s coastal areas from Ampenan to Senggigi were crowded with visitors during such a day.

During the festivities, ketupat (rice boiled inside a container made of plaited coconut leaves) is usually the main dish in a family meal, accounting for why the celebration is called Lebaran Ketupat.

According to Sasak cultural observer Jalaluddin Arzaky, 70, the tradition of visiting graves dates back generations since Islam was brought to Lombok in the 17th Century by Javanese preacher Sunan Prapen.

The tradition is performed as an expression of gratitude for the services of Muslim preachers who brought the faith to the island.

As time has gone by, however, entertainment and recreation has dominated as it no longer only involves the Sasak people but also people from across West Lombok and Mataram regions.

Jalaluddin said there was no problem with such a development as long as the initial value of conducting the tradition was well maintained. “The main substance of the celebration is nurturing relations with God, with people and with nature,” he said.

This year’s Lebaran Topat, as previously, was opened by West Lombok Regent Zaini Arony at Duduk beach in Batulayar district, a kilometer or so to the east of Senggigi.

“Lebaran Topat is also celebrated in a number of other regions in Indonesia. But in West Lombok, it is special because it involves almost all the Sasak people although it is not coordinated by the local administration,” Zaini said.

Zaini also said that the ceremony in the regency served as a medium for nurturing harmony among different ethnic groups and faiths.

“This is a unique tradition. It’s not just Sasak people who enjoy it but also non-Muslim people and even foreign tourists,” he said.