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Muslims rejoice as in-person Idul Fitri festivities return
The country’s encouraging pandemic indicators and a higher vaccination rate prompted President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to announce in late March that the government would lift Idul Fitri restrictions previously enacted in 2020 and 2021.
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A family takes a selfie after attending Idul Fitri prayers at Baiturrahman grand mosque in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, on May 2. (Agence France-Presse/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
F
orty-eight-year-old Endang Ratnawati, from South Tangerang, Banten, made the trans-Java trip and braved 18-hours of jam-packed traffic heading home to Ponorogo regency in East Java to celebrate Idul Fitri earlier this week.
The congestion did not spoil the festive mood for Endang, her husband and their two children. She said the congestion was worth the mudik (exodus) trip in order to reunite with her extended family, many of whom she has not seen in two years.
“Traffic jams are part of the mudik tradition. My family just made the most out of it, and I remembered to pack a lot of snacks for the road,” she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Endang was among the 85 million Indonesians — according to government expectation — who crowded the country’s motorways over the past weekend.
Indonesians celebrated Idul Fitri with a return to traditional, in-person festivities after two years of muted celebrations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country’s encouraging pandemic indicators and a higher vaccination rate prompted President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to announce in late March that the government would lift Idul Fitri restrictions previously enacted in 2020 and 2021.
This included allowing mudik, so long as travelers have had their booster shot or could present a negative COVID-19 test during their trip.
