mrcibubur

Ramadhan is just over three months away and I thought it an idea just to state the anticipated red (hari raya) main holidays for Indonesia in 2012.

Indonesia tends to take public holidays on a Thursday and/or Friday, unlike Uk which takes a Monday as a public holiday. Either way, it is a long weekend

Friday 6 April for Good Friday Easter. There is no Holiday on Monday 9 April

Thursday 17 May for something but I am not quite what

School Holidays will kick in around third week of June

20 July to 20 August - this will be the Ramadhan fasting period of one month. Schools give their kids a few days holiday before it starts and all schools are on a go-slow during fasting month, some finishing at 12.

17 August is also Independence Day and will likely also start the end of Ramadhan though I think Monday 20 August is intended for Idul fitri.

Last two weeks of August, it is sheer chaos in Indonesia for travelling and should be avoided at all costs.

Next Holiday after that will be Idul Addha around the end of October, I forgot to write down the day but it is only one day.

Before you know it, it is Xmas and New Year again!

Davita

Mrc's post about Indonesian holidays is interesting from another perspective.

Most readers, who are not too familiar with Indonesia, will still probably know that it is the most populated Muslim country in the world. Over 88% of the population are of the Islamic faith...that's about 210 million...no wonder there are so many Mosques...this represents over 12% of the world's Muslims and exceeds all of the Islamic Arab States.

Yet, the Constitution of the Republic entrenches diversity of religion...to a point, and the consequent holidays those religions engender.

As Mrc has posted ...except for Ramadhan (In Indonesia it's called Lebaron)...most holidays are Christian.

This weekend was a holiday called 'nyepi'...This is a Hindu 'Day of Silence' only really practiced in Bali where even the Airport is closed...but it is a holiday for ALL in Indonesia.

When those holidays occur the traffic to the popular hills of Puncak are horrendous...much like a trip I once took to Torquay!

mrcibubur

Just as a pointer, you can find my home marked on google earth as King Arthurs Castle. I called my baby boy Arthur after the legendary English King and my favourite English King in British History. No other reason to mention it except to say that today was his first birthday! Long Live King Arthur! I actually want my house to become a sort of Englishmans Castle in Indonesian Kampung but that is another story.

Actually, in the area where I live on the fringe of Kota Wisata, there is a Mosque, a church and a Hindu Temple within a Stone's throw more or less of my home and yes, Nyepi was celebrated here by the locals last Friday. Diwali was another celebration, I recall, late Autumn.

Strider24

OK so you got me in.

Search as I might, I can't find King Arthur's castle and Kota Wisata gives so many spots all over the map. Now that my curiosity is pricked, you need to give more explicit directions to "Find" you.

mrcibubur

Strange you cannot find my house marked. Look for the Pasar Rumdis or Jalan Ciangsana perhaps which runs near my house and next to Kota Wisata. i have listed over 400 places in my area on google earth at various times (more often in moments of boredom when I dont have much else to do) so you should be able to find King Arthurs Castle if you keep looking. Flattered you want to look

Strider24

Nope. Found a Jalan Raya Ciangsana at Gunung Putri but it seems a very long road and no King Arthur's Castle detected.

I did find a very cool program for looking up addresses though. http://showmystreet.com/ In an instant I was able to see my car that my son has parked out in the open instead of in the garage...rotten little sod.

shimshim

Hello guys,

Thanks for the holiday dates, but I have one question, forgive me if it seems silly but I have only recently moved here. Will the Eid al-fitr just be for that one day? Monday 20th August? Because usually it's three days (or four I can never remember which is which)? Or is it counted as a long holiday due to the weekend anyway? I know you said to avoid travelling during the end of August, but that's exactly what I want to do! As I have time off and my Mum is planning to visit me from the UK, we thought we would meet up in Bali. I live in Cirebon, West Java by the way - anyone else near by?!

mrcibubur

the Idul fitri holiday is an annual nightmare when the whole country appears on the move and there are massive traffic jams everywhere - except jakarta of course which has its quietest period of the year.

Independence Day is 17th August and that is a public holiday for sure - and a Friday. Idul Fitri is scheduled for Monday 20th August and will also be tuesday 21st I suspect, something to do with the Moon, I dont think all that stuff, they tried to change the day by 24 hours in 2011 and it caused even greater chaos.

People actually start moving around a week before and then a week after. Travelling during that period is not for the faint hearted!