Celebrating Eid Al-Fitr with Indonesian Ambassador for South Korea
In 2017, I spent Eid Al-Fitr in South Korea and that would be one of the best memories I had in life. At first, considering that South Korea is not Muslim-majority country like my home country, Indonesia, I thought that the Eid Al-Fitr celebration in South Korea would be very much different form the celebration in Indonesia. However, I felt so grateful that I experiences such a festive and warm celebration of Eid Al-Fitr in South Korea.
The night before Eid Al-Fitr, me and my friends had our
last Iftar (dinner) of Ramadhan at one of halal restaurants in Itaewon, near
the Seoul Central Mosque. It was one of the best halal meals that I ate during
I was living in Korea. Moreover, because there are many muslims ate in that
restaurant, the atmosphere reminds me as if I was at home.
The next day, it was finally Eid Al-Fitr. I and my
friends first prepared to do our Eid Al-Fitr prayer. At that time, we did the
prayer with other Indonesian communities at one of the outdoor fields in Seoul.
I grateful that Korean people gave us the freedom to perform our prayer at such
an outdoor place like that. I didn’t feel like a minority because they
respected us to perform our religion.
After performed Eid Al-Fitr prayer, me and my friends
from Indonesia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan, went to Indonesian Embassy in Seoul to
celebrate Eid Al-Fitr together with other Indonesian people. At that place, I
also had an opportunity to meet with Indonesian Ambassador for South Korea, Mr.
Umar Hadi. There were many activities held in Indonesian Embassy to celebrate
Eid Mubarak. We ate Indonesian traditional foods which are usually served on
Eid Al-Fitr, such as Rendang, Ketupat, Opor Ayam, and other foods. We were also
able to see such great performances from various performers, such as Marawis
performers, singers, and etc. The best thing is we were able to meet with other
Indonesian friends, talked together, and had a great Eid Al-Fitr like in our
homeland.
After several days, I also had Eid Al-Fitr Celebration in
my school, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, which is located in
Sejong City. The school is well-known for its diversity and I really
appreciated my school to let us celebrate Eid Al-Fitr in school, and even
supported us by providing the school hall to be used for celebration. In that
celebration event, not only muslim friends, but non-muslim friends also came to
join us and celebrate together. The school staff and professor also came by to
the event. It was really meaningful Eid Al-Fitr Celebration and left a precious
memory in my life.
However, this year, because of the COVID-19
pandemic, I felt that Ramadhan and Eid Al-Fitr is quite different. Not only in
Indonesia and South Korea, but in many other parts of the world, we all now
struggle to fight this pandemic. That’s why I hope all of us can be strong to
end this pandemic. I also hope that the spirit of Eid Al-Fitr remains in each
of our hearts. Happy Eid Mubarak for all Muslims around the world!
