Jakarta. Many Indonesian Muslims awaited confirmation until Tuesday evening that Eid al-Fitr, their most significant religious holiday, would commence the following day after a month of fasting.

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas announced the much-anticipated decision following a conference of Muslim scholars and clerics regarding the sighting of the new moon marking the month of Syawal, which follows Ramadan.

The stipulated date aligns with the version by the country’s second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah. However, Muhammadiyah's followers began observing the current fasting month a day earlier than the government’s stipulation.

"May you have a blessed Eid al-Fitr! We seek forgiveness for any mistakes and shortcomings, both seen and unseen," President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana said in a video message posted on the government’s YouTube account.

The president urged the people to utilize the religious momentum to strengthen “the fabric of our nation” following the presidential and legislative elections in February.

He will perform the Eid prayer at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta this morning, marking his last as president before leaving office in October.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto will celebrate Eid at his private residence in Bogor, where he will receive guests, a spokesman said in a text message.

In some areas of Jakarta, residents welcomed Eid by beating drums and chanting praises to God in vehicle convoys along the streets.

Children across many provinces marched in neighborhoods with kerosene torches to celebrate the last day of fasting and embrace Eid, when they usually wear new clothes and receive money from adult family members.

In Palopo, South Sulawesi, celebrations went a bit too far as young men rode motorcycles with noisy exhausts until after midnight, and other vehicle convoys blocked main roads and disrupted traffic, prompting police intervention.

In the city of Manado, whose majority population is Christian, an Eid parade was held from the North Sulawesi governor’s office to the city’s Miftahul Jannah Mosque in the evening.

“This celebration has been regularly held here for a long time, involving not only Muslims but also followers of other faiths,” Manado Mayor Andrei Angouw said.

In his message, the mayor also called for unity and religious tolerance in the city.

In the Central Kalimantan capital of Palangka Raya, a convoy of decorated vehicles drove slowly with loudspeakers playing “takbir” or praises to God.

Add as a preferred source on Google +