Parts of Indonesia Celebrate Raya as Early as March 27, Citing Traditional Methods to Determine the Date

The Indonesian government announced that Muslims in the country will be celebrating Aidilfitri on Monday (March 31), and Malaysians are still patiently waiting for the announcement.

Despite the official announcement by the Indonesian government, parts of Indonesia are already celebrating Raya, some even as early as Thursday (March 27)!

The community in Wakal, Central Maluku, Indonesia, is celebrating Eid al-Fitr today after performing the Eid al-Fitr prayers, reports ANTARA News. The Head of Government of Wakal, Ahaja Suneth, stated that the early performance of the Eid prayers in the area has become a tradition. 

“We always perform the Eid prayers earlier because we also begin fasting for Ramadan earlier, based on the established determination.”

A survey found that most residents began arriving at the Nurul Awal Wakal Mosque as early as 7 am local time. Suneth added that the determination of the date uses traditional methods, a system that has proven to be highly accurate in determining important dates in the Islamic calendar.

In another viral TikTok post, the community in Kampung Baru, Maluku was seen performing Raya prayer on March 27 (Thursday).

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Also read: “When’s Raya?” – Leader of Mosque in Yogyakarta Says He Telephoned Allah to Confirm Early Raya Date