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Anies marks Idul Fitri with 'angpao', ‘takbiran’ traditions
The Jakarta governor celebrated the religious holiday with some 'childhood traditions' while the police called for ‘modesty’.
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Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (center right, in grey shirt) gestures from the bed of a pickup truck during a public 'takbiran' parade on June 4, the eve of Idul Fitri. (Tempo/Lani Diana)
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akarta Governor Anies Baswedan and his family on Wednesday morning observed the Idul Fitri prayer at City Hall and afterward gave the traditional angpao (gift money) to children. He also marked the eve of the holiday by joining a public parade for takbiran (reciting "Allah is great"), despite the National Police’s call to celebrate the religious festival modestly, at mosques.
Idul Fitri is also called Lebaran in Indonesia.
The children who greeted the governor were given Lebaran gift money of Rp 50,000 (US$3.50) in small envelopes that he retrieved from inside his peci (traditional cap).
“[Giving angpao] has been a tradition since childhood. My father used to do the same,” Anies said as quoted by kompas.com.
“For some, it’s cooler to wear baju koko [tunics] without pockets so the [envelopes] can be placed inside the peci,” he said.
On Tuesday evening at around 10 p.m., Anies joined a takbiran parade that traveled around the capital, riding in the open bed of a pickup truck provided by the Jakarta Transportation Agency. Anies, who wore a baju koko and a peci, he was greeted by children and youth who rode atop bus roofs during the parade.
Sr. Comr. Bakharuddin Muhammad Syah, the head of the National Police's "Operation Ketupat” to ensure public safety during the annual holiday, said on Tuesday that the police were coordinating with the Jakarta administration to follow the recommendation for "modest celebrations" to minimize security risks.
Takbiran is a popular Indonesian tradition during which Muslims, particularly groups of youths, take to the streets chanting praises to God on the eve of Idul Fitri. The tradition is usually marked with firecrackers and fireworks, as well as drums. (das)
