Exodus

Every year, a few days before and after the Iedul Fitri holiday, tens of millions of Indonesians travel far and wide in this huge archipelago to meet their parents and relatives. This collective annual pilgrimage is amazing in its scale and speed. 8 millions of Jakartans, for example, leave Jakarta within a week before and after the Iedul Fitri (also called Lebaran in Indonesia) which this year occurs on 30-31 August.

The pull to go home during Lebaran is very strong. It is the only opportunity in a year to meet relatives at the same time. It is in fact a rational decision due to several reasons.

Indonesians do not have a month-long summer holiday. Contrary to what you might think, Indonesians are hard workers. I see myself they have to wake up at 5 in the morning, take sometimes a 2-hour commute to work, spend 9 hours of work, and then take the long commute heading home everyday. They only get a 12-day holiday per year and they often decide to take them during Lebaran.

University students do not have a 4-month long summer holiday either. They get at most a 2-month holiday per year. Since Muslim calendar is lunar, the 2-month holiday often does not coincide with it. Students who are not from Jawa island might as well decide to wait for Lebaran to travel home.

This annual exodus creates a massive traffic jam of tens of kilometers long along the intercity roads and highways in Jawa. Airports are congested as well for people leaving Jawa for other islands - Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda islands, Papua and other islands numbering in thousands. Train stations are brimming with people to the platform edges as trains are the cheapest means to travel intercity within Jawa.

The logistics associated with this mass exodus must be staggering. Gas stations need to have enough gasoline for 2 weeks for those traveling on road. Hotels are fully booked everywhere, except Jakarta. (Jakarta will in fact be empty during the 2-week time as 50% of its inhabitants are gone that long.)

The 8 millions of Jakartans gone in 2 weeks show how the money circulation in Indonesia is still concentrated in Jakarta. It is a bad policy since Indonesia is as large as the US.

This exodus - or called affectionately "mudik" which literally means going home - is a labour of love. It costs a lot of money to take the trip but Indonesians still do it dutifully every year. They renew their hope for their children and ensure they do not lose contact with their grandparents and relatives.

It is a cultural tradition we inherit and rhapsodize. Right around this time Indonesians - who are extreme foodies - crave for all traditional food we eat along the road trip and back home. Lebaran is euphoric since most Indonesians fast for a month before the holiday. I understand why Indonesians abroad always romanticize the Lebaran food. I understand why Mudik remains a romantic affair we Indonesians would keep doing year after year.