Celebrate the Eid!

Jakarta is left by millions of its inhabitants, shops are offering extra discounts, and special foods are springing up everywhere. In television, the wicked have repented and the b*tches have traded their hot skirts for head scarves. It can only mean one thing: Ramadan is over and Idul Fitri (or Lebaran) is just around the corner. If you, like millions of other muslims, go to more religious services during the fasting month, you've probably heard something like "Good muslims grieve at the end of Ramadan, for it means the month of infinite blessing will be over soon". However, I proudly beg to differ. There is no good in weeping for a passing month, right?

Personally, this Ramadan felt like only a snap with all the stuffs I had to do while starting at the university. It ends as suddenly as it came. The fasting was surprisingly not as hard as I had expected, although some scorching days really did test my faith and I had to suppress my anger at the nearly-inhumane TransJakarta. I did enjoy the month since it's even better without all the brouhaha I used to endure in high school. I also appreciate the fact that my life kept going as usual while I was fasting. Previously, I felt like I have to lives: normal life and Ramadan life, which is ridiculous. I believe that Ramadan is a moment to improve our lives for the whole year, not a month of pious alter ego.

Anyway, Ramadan ended today at magrib (dusk) and tomorrow we'll celebrate the Eid. The date is mostly uniform throughout Indonesia after all major Islamic organizations agreed that Eid will fall on October 1. That's another good news because there won't be any confusion like last year when Muhammadiyah ends Ramadan a day early. It was like "Minal aidin wal faizin. When did you celebrate eid?". Not nice at all. As every year, my schedule for the day stays unchanged. Eid prayer in the morning, dad's side of the family gathering, and then my mom's. It's a law set just after the universe was born.

Eid is one huge celebration after fasting for the whole Ramadan. Don't get me wrong guys, I don't do "new Lebaran clothes" and neither do I "fantabulously overdress" for the occasion like some clueless Indonesians. Nevertheless, Lebaran is undoubtedly a fun day that can never be replaced. Precisely what God made it to be -or at least what I think God made it to be. I simply love the whole festive atmosphere everywhere as if the whole world were a party. For one, there will be plenty of the promised ketupat and opor ayam, along with other wonderful food. Oh yeah, it's so close, I can taste it already. I also get to meet my relatives -some of them I never knew I had- and apologize for whatever wrong I might have done him/her. It makes me smile all day, even at my "Lebaran relatives" (most of them from my dad's extended family. Sorry dad!)

Furthermore, I admit that I am quite behind in sending out Lebaran greetings via SMS. Looking back, it was an SMS near-disaster last year because of capacity overload in almost every, if not all, mobile operators. Piles of text messages -if you want to call it so- got stuck the whole day and somehow, the overload somehow tells you how much profit these telecommunication giants make each Lebaran. Perhaps that's why I've already been receiving Lebaran SMS's from about half of everyone. Basically, they're trying to outspeed the trouble; SMS now when it's "quiet" and don't burden the cellphone network anymore. 

What about me? I am pleased to announce that I haven't even composed my message yet. Making the Lebaran greeting is no easy matter because it has to reflect the wonderful spirit of the day, be fun enough to read and remember, and not sound so pretentious. It means no weird Arabic chants and no faux-poetic regretful expressions. In my previous SMS's, the main ingredients are the all-important apology ("minal aidin..., mohon maaf..."), a prayer for the future, and also a "happy holidays" remark. Then, to choose the appropriate words and sentences, I have to thread the thin line between being creepily rigid and being annoyingly perky very very carefully. In Grey's Anatomy terms, maybe right between Preston Burke and Sydney Heron with a little nudge toward Sydney. Well, just wait for it.

So, let's have tons of fun tomorrow, because having fun is never a sin. Start a whole new page in your life, strengthen your family ties, and eat like there's no tomorrow. I was moved by a Lebaran ad by Pertamina, in which a Pertamina gas station helper (yes guys, you don't fill your own gas in Indonesia) shows a customer that the counter starts from zero. It has two meanings: that the station is one of the few reliable stations in the city and also that after Lebaran, we get over our mistakes and start from zero again. Anyway,... .

EID MUBARAK 1429 H. HAPPY EID FITR. SELAMAT HARI RAYA IDUL FITRI. HAVE A BLESSED LEBARAN. MINAL AIDIN WAL FAIZIN. MOHON MAAF LAHIR & BATIN. PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF MY BLOG HAS EVER OFFENDED YOU. HAVE FUN and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

And that would be my cellphone ringing with another SMS...