Muslim Fasting in Indonesia

It’s March, which means it’s already in the middle of fasting period for our Muslim friends, at least in 2026. Coincidentally, Catholic fasting also starts at almost the same time this year.

Now, I’m not a Muslim, but I want to try to cover this topic as it is a big part of Indonesian culture. If there is any false or incomplete information, feel free to contact me so I can rectify them. Thanks in advance~

As you might already know, Indonesia is the country with the most Muslim population in the world. As around 87% of us is Muslim, many events and celebrations based on said religion are observed here. This includes fasting, or ‘puasa’, and subsequently Eid al-Fitr (‘Idulfitri’, though the term ‘Lebaran’ is also widely used to refer to this period). 

I’ll talk more about Lebaran below. For now, let’s talk about fasting first, which is called ‘Puasa’ or ‘Saum’ (less commonly used).

For Muslim, fasting means to control one’s carnal desire. Essentially, fasting here means not consuming any food and drink and also not doing anything sinful that is prohibited for the duration of the day, which in Indonesia usually means around 14 hours, from dawn until sunset. Sinful here includes having sex, masturbating, intentional vomiting, and smoking. It is done during Ramadan (Ramadhan), which happens on the 9^th month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts for 29 to 30 days. Of course, prayers must also be done as it is part of doing God’s will, as written in the Al-Quran. 

Fasting is obligatory, as it is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, for all adult Muslims, both male and female, who are not sick, travelling, elderly, breastfeeding, pregnant, or menstruating. If, for whatever reason, one cannot fulfil their fasting period and has to break it (batal) or not doing it at all for the day, he/she must make up for the missed day later. 

Children are usually trained to do this from an early age, like 3 or 4 years old, but they don’t have to completely fulfil the requirements and half-day fasting (puasa setengah hari) is common. The adult age mentioned here refers to the time a child reached their puberty (puber or akil baligh), which is around the age of 9-14 for boys (when they masturbate or have wet dream for the first time) and 8-13 for girls (when they menstruate for the first time). The actual age may vary, though 15 years olds are commonly regarded as being adults already.

In Indonesia, a day of fasting begins with sahur, which is a meal consumed at dawn before the start of fasting. It can be regarded as breakfast, but more like ‘start’-fast than ‘break’-fast. All eating and drinking must be finished before call (adzan or azan) for morning prayer (salat subuh) rang. This means that around 4 AM, some people will go around their village to wake people up for sahur by banging on things like small drums, electricity poles, and people’s fences (fences in Indonesia are typically made of metal, so it rings quite a bit). Some people, especially the non-Muslims, sometimes also woke up during this time. Of course, those who have to prepare the sahur meal are already awake, most probably.

Afterwards, they don’t eat or drink anything for the whole day if they can. Restaurants and F&B establishments, at least the ones that are still open for business, usually pull down their curtains during this time, as a sign of respect. Non-Muslims workers or students will also have their lunch a bit more privately, as to reduce the temptation for their friends and colleagues. People will also try to refrain from eating or even drinking in public, as it can be taken as a sign of disrespect. Many restaurants will also close their business during the day, and instead open in the afternoon around 3 to 5 PM until their usual closing time or even later into the early morning of 12 or 1 AM. Some even reverse their opening time, so they’re open from 4 PM to 4 AM instead. 

It’s a bit controversial, but some cities’ governments expressly forbid any F&B places to open before 4 PM. Nationally, night-time entertainments like bar and karaokes are also closed during the month.

Fasting lasts until around 6 PM, when the time comes for them to break their fast (buka puasa), also known as Iftar, right after the Maghrib prayer just after sunset. When the time comes, usually they will say a short prayer then start by eating or drinking something sweet, typically dates (kurma), sweet iced drinks like es campur, or takjil, which refers to a group of sweet snacks for breaking fast. Afterwards, they will eat as usual, or sometimes more lavishly and have a feast, with their family if possible. The more religious Muslims might also pray at the mosque first before having their meal.

To accommodate this tradition, nearing the time for Maghrib, many small stalls selling sweet drinks, fried snacks, and every other snack you can think of will usually pop up near public places, such as universities, offices, and mosques. Some organizations will also distribute free takjil to pedestrians or people on the road, both as a way to contribute to the society and as a promotion of their brands. People will gather with friends and family at these locations to wait for Iftar while hunting snacks and chatting with others. This activity itself is called ngabuburit.

Puasa is then repeated the next day and the next day and the next day until the day before 1 Syawal, which is the day of Eid al-Fitr. Mass prayers are usually done on this day, following a one-night one-day prayer broadcasted from your closest mosque/musalla.

Eid al-Fitr itself is a big holiday event, with schools and most offices closed for business for more than a week at once. As such, this is a big chance for people to go on vacation or, more commonly, to go back to their villages and hometown to visit their parents and relatives (‘pulang kampung’). This habit, called ‘’mudik’, often creates traffic jams on the road, especially at the beginning and the end of this holiday. Trains, buses, ferries, and airplanes are also on high demand during those times, with added armadas stationed to take these workers to and from their hometowns. 

It is also a norm for offices, masters, and parents to give their workers and children an additional ‘pocket money’ called THR (‘Tunjangan Hari Raya’, or holiday pay). Some even call it the 13th wage (‘gaji ketigabelas’), referring to how the amount usually equals to a month’s worth of pay/wage. When given as cash in envelopes, it is tradition to give ‘new money’, as in money with smooth appearance and not ones that have been bent or damaged in any kind. This is why a seasonal business of exchanging new money emerged during this holiday (though some unscrupulous people use this occasion to distribute fake/counterfeit money, so do be careful). New clothes and new prayer paraphernalia are part of the expected packet of this holiday. You can say it’s like Christmas in the West or Chinese New Year in Northern Asia.

One can argue that during this month and the following…two weeks, the economy churns rapidly for almost every industry. Especially this year, when Chinese New Year and Easter (lent) are also celebrated near this period.

Alright, I think that’s all I know about fasting in Indonesia. Here’s a little diagram to summarize Indonesian Muslim fasting (simple version):

Sahur 🡪 Adzan for Salat Subuh 🡪 Fasting 🡪 Ngabuburit 🡪 Buka Puasa or Iftar 🡪 Salat Maghrib 🡪 big meal (repeat the next day)

Thanks for reading~