Ramadan away from home: 'This is second time we couldn't be back home'

Setiyo Pamungkas and his family miss a lot of traditions being followed back in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population. They miss the large gatherings of people, activities for children and traditional delicacies during Ramadan.
Pamungkas also misses his three brothers, two sisters and extended family during the holy month.
"In Indonesia, we have strong traditions. Especially for Eid Al Fitr, everyone in the family wherever they are in the world needs to be back in our native home of Central Java. At the end of Ramadan, getting back to our roots is like a national event. But this year and the last, we couldn't be there due to our kids' exams. It's now the second time ever that we aren't back with our families. However, we do gather a few friends and members of the community here."
Indonesia, Pamungkas said, has lots of traditions, especially for kids.
"Just before Iftar, children gather at the mosque to read the Quran together. My kids miss such gatherings. Also, we miss many traditional food items. There are specific items which are prepared only for children. We try to make up for this. My wife, Neina Yuli Ekowati, prepares a few traditional items for our daughters, Cantika Aaqila Pamungkas and Cinta Almira Pamungkas."
Neina prepares an array of small dishes for Iftar throughout the holy month. "This way, we make our kids aware about the food items that are prepared back home during Ramadan. To break the fast, we normally prepare small traditional food items. We make a sweet soup called 'kolak'. It is sweet, delicious and nutritious. Kolak usually contains banana or sweet potato but can also accommodate other ingredients such as jackfruit or sugar palm fruit.
"Apart from kolak and dates, we also prepare other snacks like tempe and sosis. Tempe is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Normally, we fry tempe and add rice flour and serve with chili padi. Sosis is a typical food from Central Java, which is made from ground beef or chicken and then wrapped with egg omelette," Pamungkas added.
The family is happily marking Ramadan in their own little world nestled in Khalidiyah. "The reduced working and school hours help us to spend more time together and follow traditions within our family," added the senior geomodeler.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Ramadan 2021