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It should go without saying how important family is, especially during the Lebaran. Chairman of the Regional Representatives Irman Gusman says he’s blessed to be surrounded by his warm and loving family on the special day every year. Each and every family has their own tradition of celebrating the Muslim holiday. For the Gusmans, it begins with the Eid prayer early in the morning at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta before they proceed to an open house at the Presidential Palace. “We normally don’t stay there for a long time because we also prepare an open house at our residence in Kuningan,” Liestyana Rizal, Irman’s spouse, says. On the first day of the open house, the family invites relatives and colleagues, and it’s a tradition that has been ongoing for years. Like many other Muslim families, the Gusmans consider Idul Fitri a moment to forgive and ask for forgiveness from others. Irman admits that he doesn’t have that much time to organise the open house, so he trusts his wife to do all the necessary things to make the occasion perfect. “The preparation is usually done long before the holy day, and it entails everything, from choosing the family attires to catering service, and to decorations. Last year, it was a bit chaotic because the official date of Lebaran was moved to the day after the initial date we thought it’d be held. As a result, we had to re-arrange everything at the last minute. But thanks God,
n photography heri b. heryanto
heri b. heryanto, budi kosasih, words olly g. santosa, retta oktaviani suparli, arida hikmawati n photography
A Complete Celebration
indonesia tatler
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everything was finally under control,” explains Lies, as many refer to Liestyana. Ask the family about their must-have Lebaran menu, they answer: “We always have smoked fish in green chilli; ketupat sayur, which is packed rice with vegetable broth; and braised chicken in coconut milk.” Irman and Lies say this year’s Lebaran is very special because they will celebrate it with their three children: Irviandari Alestya Gusman, Irviandra Fathan Gusman, and Irvianjani Audreya Gusman. “The presence of my eldest daughter, Andari, and my son, Andra, will definitely make this year’s Idul Fitri more special,” the parents say, beaming with abundant joy. Andra confides in that this year will mark the first time in three years that he and his sister celebrate Idul Fitri with his family, as both have been away from home ever since, pursuing studies in the United States. Andari is finishing a degree in Journalism and Women’s Studies at Tufts University in Boston, and Andra is now in his final year at Phillips Academy, Andover, also in Boston, Massachusetts. Anjani, the youngest daughter, is the only one who still lives with the parents in Jakarta. She also has a say on the tradition: “I like Idul Fitri. It’s the time of the year when I can eat all I want—oh…, and also the pouches—the old-time tradition in which older family members hand out some money in a pouch to younger ones.”