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Weekly 5: Jakartans’ Ramadhan preparations
JP/Wendra AjistyatamaMuslims consider the fasting month of Ramadhan to be an eagerly anticipated time full of blessings
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JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Muslims consider the fasting month of Ramadhan to be an eagerly anticipated time full of blessings. In majority-Muslim Jakarta residents have much to prepare for the upcoming holy month. Here are the five most common pre-Ramadhan activities in Jakarta.
Getting stocked up
Prior to the fasting month Muslim Jakartans will be increasing their monthly grocery purchases to take advantage of lower prices.
Moreover, with abundant stocks, they can concentrate on their fasting without being bothered with too much shopping.
Housewife Umairoh Husadah, 37, for example, plans to take her husband and three-year old daughter to Gandaria City Mall in South Jakarta next week to stock her kitchen cabinets with extra food and beverages.
“I will buy more food and drinks with long expiry dates so that they can be kept until Idul Fitri [the end of Ramadhan celebrations],” said Iro, adding that she would not bother herself with buying more food and beverages prior to Idul Fitri.
She added that prior to Idul Fitri, her family tended to shop for fashion items, like new shirts or dresses, to be worn on Idul Fitri, rather than shopping for groceries.
Last chance saloon
Cities like Jakarta provide the opportunity to try out new restaurants or coffee shops before Ramadhan. Many young workers in Jakarta spare the time to meet with friends or colleagues to have lunch together for the last time before the fasting month.
Linda, a 26-year-old worker in West Jakarta, said she planned to visit a new restaurant in Tebet, South Jakarta. “We found this restaurant near a swimming pool where my friends and I often visit,” she said on Thursday.
She added that as it was unlikely anyone would swim during the fasting month, they planned to visit it for the last time at the end of May.
Linda said they decided to visit the restaurant before the fasting month because it would be impossible to eat there during Ramadhan.
“The place is far from our offices. This means that it would take an extra effort to go there during Ramadhan, especially to break the fast when all the roads are congested,” she said.
Planning ahead
The Ramadhan fasting month is of course an opportunity for old friends to meet again and break the fast together, locally known as bukber. Muslims see it as a way of strengthening silaturahmi (communal togetherness).
Given that Jakarta is a busy and densely populated city, booking a venue well in advance and setting a date to ensure that it will not clash with other activities, are necessary.
A reliable person is usually “honored” to be put in charge and given the task of sending out the invitations. At larger events, with greater numbers of participants, a special committee is usually formed or hired to create the concept and handle the running of the event long before the holy month arrives.
Making up for missed fasts
For one reason or another, some people missed days of fasting during the previous Ramadhan and with the next fasting month just around the corner, they start to make up for the missed days.
Making up missed days of fasting is an obligation that need not be fulfilled immediately because the time for fulfilment is very wide and one may perform it at any time. Muslims believe that if one day of Ramadhan is missed, then only one day needs to be made up.
Budi Yuliani, a housewife, said she had started to “paying her debt” of the missed days from the previous Ramadhan, adding that it helped her to prepare for the forthcoming fasting month.
Grave times
Another activity Jakartans normally do before the start of each fasting month is visiting the graves of loved ones; be they grandparents, parents, siblings or even individuals perceived as sacred or religious models.
This activity is called ziarah — coming from an Arabic word ziyarat, meaning to visit — and almost all cultures in Indonesia have this tradition. During the visit the graves are cleared of weeds, flowers are spread and verses from the Koran are recited.
