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Thousands gather to pray in return to Idul Fitri festivities
Indonesian Muslims were able to celebrate Idul Fitri 2022 with a return to festivities, including the annual tradition of mudik (exodus) and congregational prayers.
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Together again: Hundreds of Muslims join the Idul Fitri congregational prayers on the morning of May 2, 2022 from the streets of Surabaya, the provincial capital of East Java. (Agence France-Press/Juni Kriswanto)
M
uslims have welcomed Idul Fitri in Indonesia with a return to festivities to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, after two years of muted celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from lifting the ban on mudik (exodus), the government eased the pandemic restrictions for this year’s Idul Fitri to allow Indonesian Muslims to hold congregational prayers and visit family and friends relatives, all part and parcel of the annual holiday tradition in the world’s largest Muslim majority country, while still adhering to the health protocols.
In Jakarta, hundreds of thousands of Muslims crowded Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in the country, to attend Idul Fitri prayers on Monday morning.
Grand imam Nazaruddin Umar said the prayers had largely gone well, even though the 300,000 Muslims that gathered had exceeded the mosque’s estimate.
“Istiqlal had been prepared [to welcome] 250,000 people. But earlier, [it was so crowded] that even the entrance to [Jakarta] Cathedral was full, too,” Nazaruddin said on Monday, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.
“But alhamdulillah, all went well.”
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin was among those that attended Idul Fitri prayers at the grand mosque.
