Joyous occasion: Muslims preparing to attend Hari Raya Haji mass prayers in Jakarta. — Reuters
Muslims across the country were celebrating Hari Raya Aidiladha, one of the biggest holidays in the Islamic calendar, with full meat-based feasts after fears of last year’s foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak waned.
Hari Raya Aidiladha, known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” coincides with the final rites of the annual haj in Saudi Arabia.
It’s a joyous occasion, for which food is a hallmark with devout Muslims buying and slaughtering animals and sharing two-thirds of the meat with the poor.
Many South-East Asian nations, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore observed Hari Raya Aidiladha yesterday, while Muslims in other parts of the globe, including in countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkiye, Afghanistan and Nigeria, celebrated the holiday on Wednesday.
The celebration varies according to moon sightings in different parts of the world.
Yesterday, worshippers joined in communal prayers in the streets of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
Mosques flooded with devotees offering morning prayers, including in Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in South-East Asia.
“Thank God, we can pray with our family and celebrate the festival without fears of the outbreak and pandemic,” said Neisya Fabiola, a Jakarta resident.
“This year’s celebration is much more lively than last year.”
Hari Raya Aidiladha holiday in Indonesia is known for its lavish meat-based feasts, which are made with the meat from the sacrifice.
Huge crowds filled the yards of mosques to participate in the ritual animal slaughter for the festival.
Indonesia’s government has decided to extend this year’s holiday by giving an extra two days of mandatory leave before and after the Muslim festival in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the decision was geared toward spurring economic activities and tourism in the world’s largest archipelago nation.
“It would allow more time for people to travel and enjoy their holiday in a bid to spur more economic activities, particularly domestic tourism,” Jokowi said.
Indonesia, like the rest of the world, is struggling to come out of an economic recession fuelled by the pandemic with the Ukraine war and soaring energy and food prices creating complications in the recovery.
Last year, a FMD outbreak disrupted the ritual slaughter of animals to mark Hari Raya Aidiladha in Indonesia.
But the government has worked to overcome that outbreak. — AP
