AP PHOTOS: Muslims in Indonesia welcome the holy month of Ramadan
TANGERANG, Indonesia (AP) — Ramadan is a time of togetherness for Muslims, as they fill mosques for hours of prayer and share large, lavish meals with family, friends and neighbors after days of dawn-to-dusk fasting.
In Indonesia, where nearly 90% of population (282 million) practice Islam, celebrations range from colorful torchlight parades to cleaning family graves, to preparing food for pre-dawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.” Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan.
An AP photographer recently captured a property company worker, Samsul Anwar, his wife, Rekanita Amelia Yusuf, and their 8-year-old nephew, Argha Al Khawarizmi, as they joined a torchlight parade along the streets of their neighborhood in Tangerang, a city just outside the capital, Jakarta. They were performing Tarhib Ramadan, a traditional event to welcome the Islamic fasting month, on Wednesday evening.
Hundreds of men, women, boys and girls participated in the parade just after evening prayers. They carried torches, lit flares and played Islamic songs accompanied by the beat of the rebana, a handheld Arabic percussion instrument, as they walked along the cramped streets of the densely populated neighborhood.
As most Indonesians are tolerant of other religions, Chinese Indonesian communities also took part, performing the “barongsai” or “lion dance,” a prominent part of Chinese New Year celebrations, while the drumbeats and trumpets created a vibrant party mood.
”“Every year we welcome Ramadan with a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Anwar.
The next day, Anwar — like many other Muslims on the main island of Java, including in Jakarta — also mark the holy month by cleaning his relatives’ graves, scattering flower petals and praying for the deceased.
On Friday afternoon, Anwar, his wife and son joined hundreds of Tangerang residents who flock to the Cisadane River to bathe. The tradition calls for washing one’s hair with rice straw shampoo to welcome the fasting month with symbolic spiritual cleansing.
“Every tradition Indonesian people carry in welcoming the holy month of Ramadan has a deep meaning, aiming to purify oneself, pray for and forgive each other, and build friendship,” Anwar said.
By NINIEK KARMINI and TATAN SYUFLANA
Associated Press
