Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – One of the traditions in Indonesia when Eid al-Fitr arrives is Halalbihalal. KBBI says Halalbihalal is forgiveness after completing the Ramadan fast.
However, please note that this activity is not in the Al-Quran and Hadith. In the Al-Quran and Hadith, there are friendly activities that must be carried out regardless of certain celebrations or moments. This means that Halalbihalal is a typical tradition of Indonesian society.
So, who created the first halalbihalal? This question is actually confusing and there are several versions.
Imam of the Istiqlal Nasaruddin Umar mosque in the book Examining the Nature of Friendship (2022), said this tradition came from young people from the Kauman Mosque in Yogyakarta who held events to forgive each other on holidays. Then, there are also those who say that halalbihalal was first coined by an NU figure, namely Kyai Wahab Chasbullah, when he held an Eid al-Fitr gathering at the State Palace.
However, interestingly there is another version which says this came from a martabak trader from India.
This story was told by Sunarto Prawirosujanto, an official at the Ministry of Health in his biography entitled Pioneering Indonesian Pharmaceutical Development (1997). As explained Historythis story occurred around 1935-1936 when Sunarto often visited Taman Sriwedari, Solo.
Coincidentally there was a martabak trader from India there. He sells martabak for 7 cents, but during the fasting month the price rises to 9-10 cents per piece. While selling, the martabak maker often shouts so that visitors can buy his wares. Understandably, martabak was a new food at that time and no one knew if it was halal. As a result, a scream like this emerged:
“Malabar Martabak, halal bin halal, halal bin halal,”
This shouting continues until the visitors get used to it and don't feel uncomfortable. As a result of getting used to it, Sunarto said that many people imitated this saying, especially the phrase “halal bin halal.”
From here, the words “halal bin halal” which was changed to “halalbihalal:” became popular. Wherever people go during Eid, they are said to be doing halalbihalal. Since then, the word halalbihalal has entered the dictionary made by the Dutch government and has been absorbed into the Indonesian dictionary until now.
However, this version does not mean the most valid. However, regardless of the version, halalbihalal must be a place to forgive each other. Famous scholar Quraish Shihab in the book Heart Lantern (1994) said that this activity aims to create harmony between people, even though the activity raises question marks in terms of truth and language.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(mfa/mfa)