Ramadhan is coming shortly and some of you might be wondering what difference will be going during the holy season. Indonesia as the largest Muslim population in the world celebrate Ramadhan as the month of prayers and fasting. Here are some things you need to know as tourist about activities during Ramadhan.
More activities at the dawn and dusk time
Fasting starts at dawn (Subuh) time around 4:30 am. People have to do sahur (eat) before subuh prayer kicks in. In some areas especially villages, some kids go around the neighborhood with loud sound (percussion etc) to wake people up. Some people go out to find and eat at warung (local food seller).
When fasting about to end at the dusk time (maghrib) around 6:30 pm, many seasonal street food sellers line up by the streets waiting for people to buy for their fast breaking. Read about Ramadhan, a month of street food festival here.
Some food sellers (warung) and shops change their operational time
Due to the change of the activities of the people as well as the employees, some warungs and shops change their opening and closing time. You will still find some of them open during your lunch time, especially shops like Alfamart or Indomart.
Huge people movement at the end of Ramadhan
Idul Fitri at the end of Ramadhan is a huge celebration for all muslims. It is the most important time to meet families, neighbors and relatives for asking for forgiveness as the important part after one month of fasting. So, it will be difficult to get public transportation since they are fully booked long before the date. It will also be difficult to find open warungs, shops and other public facilities during the first and second day of Idul Fitri. However, some big malls and stores may open after 1 pm on the first day.
