Public Cemeteries Filled as Pilgrims Visit Relatives' Graves Before Ramadan

TheIndonesia.id - Visiting the graveyard of late relatives is one of the traditions among Indonesians as they head into Ramadan. And in the last days, public cemeteries have been filled with families who, before the fasting starts, want to pay respect to friends and families that have died.

One of the public cemeteries that sees a spike in the number of pilgrims is Pondok Kelapa public cemetery in East Jakarta. As Indonesians waiting for the official announcement for when Ramadan will start, it has been flooded by visitors in the last few days.

One pilgrim Suharjono said ziarah is a long-held tradition in his family before Ramadan begins.

“As we approach Ramadan this year, we’re only able to perform ziarah today due to work issues in the last days,” he said on Sunday, March 27, as reported by Antara.

It was also reported that the volume of pilgrims was high on Sunday, with a long queue of vehicles towards the entrance of Pondok Kelapa cemetery.

Despite the one-kilometer traffic, other pilgrim said they didn’t really mind it because ziarah is a tradition that many people in Indonesia continues to do, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There was a congestion on our way here, but there’s nothing we can do because a lot of people are performing ziarah,” another pilgrim said.

During this ritual, families usually gather around a tomb of their late relatives’ to send prayers, and it’s during this time that public cemeteries across the country are usually crowded with pilgrims.

Ramadan is due to begin in early April, but Indonesians are still waiting for official announcement from the government regarding the matter.