Fasting, Feast, and Culture events

Towards the end of this Lebaran day, my memory of various events of childhood seems to continue to strengthen. When I was a child, like a Muslim family, I, along with my parents, brother and sister, fasted following the fast schedule. When the meal, my family joined the meal, and when my family mahjrib also break the fast. Be my family follow Ramadan fasting ritual is a whole month. I was a child then learned to fast with my friends my other game. If I get to "break the fast" in the middle of the road, it's usually the embarrassment I feel when I meet my friends

My father also encouraged me to join the fast. "Fasting strengthens your personality". Thus my father motivated me to participate in the fasting ritual. And finally I was accustomed to fasting from the age of five to junior high school. This once yearly fasting routine brings a blessing to me in the habit of doing regular Monday-Thursday fasting until now.

Fasting in my village community is no longer a matter of religion, but has become a tradition and culture of society owned by almost all levels of society. My friends at the church Sunday school are also fasting along with the fasting tradition of Ramadan. Fasting seems to have become a common ritual that must be lived by all the people in my village.

In my village tarawihpun prayer tradition becomes a fun tradition for me. When my friends play tarawih prayer on the second floor of a langgar (a small mosque usually owned by one of the people) in our village, with gloved and bearing, I used to wait on the ladder faithfully until tarawih prayer was broken up. And when the tarawih prayer was over, I joined in the joy of my friends enjoy jaburan (a kind of snacks that are usually distributed after tarawih prayer in Java). The tradition of sharing food after the tarawih prayer has taped the lives of the whole community.

By the evening takbiran was the busiest day for me and my father. Each family usually holds a feast as a tradition of gratitude and prayer with almost the end of Ramadan. But since almost half of the people in my village are organizing such a tradition of festivity, it is usually four o'clock in the afternoon when the feast begins and continues until the evening takbiran. My dad always delegates some of the merchant's invitations to my little one, because there is not enough time to go to all the banquet's invitations. I bersarung and berpeci when present in the celebratory feast because it is the tradition of people in my village like that.

When I arrived, I could bring some tomatoes (a kind of box made of bamboo), then put them in the house and then go back for the next bouquet. The party had been a party with the whole community, including my family. And when the Lebaran is over, the pile of food from the merchandise will still be for a few days. Rice that my family can not spend, usually processed by my mother to be the material to make rambak (a kind of crackers made from rice).

If Idul Fitri, my mother is also used to buy new clothes for me and other members of my family. Be my family and I celebrate that special day of Eid with new clothes, visiting every neighbor while saying sorry and vice versa. Even sometimes many other members of the community who actually came first to my family's home for friendship Eid. Such was the excitement of the people, the joy of my family as well.

I have many brothers and sisters from my father and mother to visit during Lebaran day. When I met brothers and sisters of mothers, as a tradition, I kneeled their hands and apologized for each of my mistakes. This tradition of hospitality has also become a tradition of my family even though my family has embraced their different beliefs. Lebaran has diluted the bulkhead and belief of everyone. Everyone has the same position before his creator and everyone has errors to settle together.

Toward the day of Lebaran tomorrow, I reflect on the small days that have passed. I again think it is not a religious holiday like Lebaran inipun worth celebrated by the entire community without exception. Is not Eid is a day of victory with the whole community for their self-control, which deserves to be grateful and celebrated? And is not there any hope that learning in this fasting month will provide the strengthening, affirmation, and sharing of the whole community in the next eleven months? "Start from yourself". Suddenly the popular call of the dai Aa Gym burst into my memory.