My family and I are Muslim, and in April, which is Syawal in the Arabic calendar, Eid Fitr is celebrated after the Ramadhan iftar for a month has to be done. It is from 1-3 April. In the Islamic POV, when the Eid Fitr was come, the moment of the biggest religy even in this years is identical of the 'celebrating day'. It is a one moment that every muslim have to 'mudik lebaran' refers to greetings to all family with gathering to they hometown. It could happen to all Muslims, but both of my families now have lived in the same hometown in Jakarta. So, I miss the parts of mudik in this year, not at the a dozens years ago when my family have to come to my hometown in Malang city.
But, the Eid Fitr sphere is still felt into the airzone and I can't deny the phoria for it's. Okay, so then in this blog, I will recap all of my Eid Fitri 2025 moments with my families, which is had to capture in my phone. Let me share this moments then you all will know how the Eid Fitr was an amazing celebration.
Eid Fitr *Sholat *(Praying) at the Mosque's Housing Area
As Eid Fitr is the one biggest Muslim's celebration, it is started with the anually routinity, the Eid Fitr Prayer in the Mosque at earlier morning time. It happens a while that is as we usually do when you and your family have went to the Mosque near your home to do the *Jama'ah *prayer together with one granted *Imam *that lead its prayer. Also, the night before we do the Eid Fitri prayer, the *Takbir *is being loudly heard from the mosque until the next day when we start the Eid Fitri Sholat Jama'ah.
I loved the airzone of the Eid Fitri Pray, because of the myth that when we does that, we can go back to our holy soul with some of Fitrh means that all of your fault and sins is being forgive to Allah SWT. Then, the Eid Fitr is identical with the forgiving moments that we as Muslims must be apologize to each others. The greetings of Eid Fitr are mesmerizing for me. They are called 'Minal Aidzin Wa Faidzin' and have the meaning 'Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin' in Indonesian.
In day of Eid Fitr, my younger sister made decision to hold the Eid Fitr Pray Jamaah in my mosque near my house with her little family, my closest of brother in law, and my lovely niece. Then my another sister who her house near me are also held the Eid Fitr Pray together with my second brother in law and two more of nieces.
About the ritual of Eid Fitr Pray, the Imam is also given the Jamaat some of Ceramah, refers like muslim pidato about several topics relate with Islam. The one thing I could take the summary of what his Ceramah is the potent of every Muslim had worship during Ramadhan is very amazing to be perfectly done, then we must devend that our observance is stillstand for a long term not only during Ramadhan.
'Ketupatan' as Eid Fitr Feasts
As a Muslim, the ketupatan ritual is never been absent for every Eid Fitr moment. It is a kind of celebration of eating together with your family at the end of Ramadhan as a breakfast or brunch. The menu of 'ketupatan' is somehow very uniform as one Indonesia's Muslim had for.
'Ketupatan' is served with many kinds of side dishes that vary from the protein and also its main cast, 'tupat', that commonly a rice cake that is filled inside the wicker's young coconut leaf, which is formed as a tupat shape. The side dishes are also kind of delicious and hard to resist. It all called Chicken Opor, Beef Rendang, Chicken Satay, Stirr Soup Chayote, and Fried Stirr Potatoes.
The one thing that made Eid Fitr most memorable, is this activity, we as a whole family can share our moment and spare our time to be eating together, which is very precious from every moments we can not be ignited as usual as we can. My second elder sister which is have taking control and cooking with my mother are very enthusiast as well she had hobby to cook manykind of dishes, yet her meals was delicious for us.
There are also potlucks from the other family members who are gathering at my parents' house. That also snacks that will never be forgotten like 'traditional cookies', 'cocktail fruits' and 'Rempeyek', the peanut's crackling chips that were so fancy yet traditional touch.
I think the day one's of Eid Fitr was memorable then we also get some moments to do 'sungkeman' tradition and 'THR' or also knew as a eid fitr allowance, that somehow it given by the pleasant family members who are able to shared it money to the any person who they want.
The Moments Gathered with the Big Family
It's also called 'Sowan' in Javanesse culture. I have many widespread family members who come from my mom and my dad; both of them grew up in the most fantastic family, yet one of them was very granted the heritage of our family. Guess what, I am the biggest fans of them because of what the bigger family means is build-up by them and they also loved to with my holy grand mother and grand father culture. I can see my big fam members are wanted to preserve it culture to next generations.
However, I guess you all also have one of those bigger families like me, huh. That I can analyze from the Ig. They post or share the Igs of the gathering moments and their family rituals too, which is very satisfying to watch.
About being a wholehearted family member, all of my family also celebrates Eid Fitr moments with happiness and Fitrh soul. They dressed up well and greeted all of the families members friendly way.
On the second day of Eid Fitr, I and my little family went to my father's big family gathering. We have to meet up at my father's left sister called Budhe Arti family house. The area is still not too far from my house, in the Pertukangan area, South Jakarta. My father's big family was so amazing; they served many types of food to eat from a potluck. My family has brought the chicken satay and dimsum for the potluck. At the end of the gathering, we took a photo together as a solid family and also chit-chatted with the other members who talked aloud about their running food business until they several profession.
On the last day of Eid Fitr, I and my little family went to my mother's big family gathering located in the Apartment in South Jakarta called Kasablanca. There are other unique rituals or family games that are held when we gather, and the idea is to share the goodie bags in a differential way. Many of my family members brought little gift that is random gifts, such as skincare, snacks, household kinds of stuff, mukena, and many else's.
The most unique is the idea of using small ropes for pick the random gift, so the whole of my family had to DIY suddenly on the spot to make the games and I also the one who are assist them. I helped them to distribute the parts of the gift, which had to be divided randomly as well one of the family members will get a random stuff that put into the plastic bag and bond it by the rope one by one until it become a bunch of a lot of gifted. The game rule is that a family member alternately picks up the random gift by pulling the rope that is held by my sister's hands. The unique point is that we can not know and pick up the gift that we like unless we get it randomly, so the funny moments are born by the family member who gets a stuffed that is unpredictable yet astonishing. The game was held with enthusiasm, although it kind of simple game.
What Eid al-Fitr Means to Me
Eid al-fitr is a Muslim celebration that is not just a moment of gathering and doing the all rituals, but has a lot of meaning to grow and intensify our human feeling at the highest position. We as the family come from diverse live points' that we as also learn a lot to caring for each others to receive it as the whole one family.
This moment also has meaning of how far we as the person can forgive the whole of the fault that made by the others people around you and your family do. The unique perspective of Eid al-Fitr was positioned in forgive many fault that we can surrender from all differential of our value and also life way.
From year to year, I had learned from these moments. Whenever you are in depth, the feelings for many kinds of prejudices you can not to egostic to fronted your willingness nor to be what you want at least is come back to the the meaning of togetherness. As we lived by sharing with other people, the better things for all is by how we can harmonize and still align for the humanitiation to each of us.
I know that my family member have set aside their ego to become a whole of solid family, and that is all I have to learn from them. That is why I can not deny the reality of being one of them, that I still grow a lot to become a better person for them.