The Indonesian average families observe the Muslim Fast and celebrates its end by returning to their home village at Idul Fitri. There are a number of words that are not so frequent in general conversation, but are very frequent when you are talking about Islam, and about the annual Fast in particular. Here is a list of these more “specialised” terms.
Allah God
Allahu Akbar God is great
ayat a verse (from a holy book)
beragama___ to be a follower of such-and-such a religion, thus beragama Islam a Muslim, a follower of Islam, adhering to Islam
berbuka puasa (or simply berbuka and buka) to have a meal at the end of a day’s fasting
berpuasa to fast
bersyukur to thank God
bulan puasa the fasting month
doa a prayer (usually a personal, meditative prayer)
Hari Raya an Islamic feast day
Idul Fitri the (usually) two days of celebrations and festivities at the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan
ketupat dense lumps of rice cooked in packets woven from leaves and served at meals during Idul Fitri
lahir dan batin outwardly and inwardly
Lebaran the Javanese term for Idul Fitri, the celebration at the end of the annual Fast
mohon maaf lahir dan batin to ask for forgiveness. This phrase is only used during the Idul Fitri celebrations. In this particular phrase mohon maaf is always used instead of minta maaf
mudik to go back to one’s home in the countryside (especially to celebrate Idul Fitri). Also: to go upstream
nabi a prophet. Nabi Muhammad the prophet Muhammad
naik haji to make the pilgrimage to the Islamic holy land centred on Mecca in modern Saudi Arabia
puasa a fast, the Muslim Fast
sahur (also saur) to have a meal before sunrise during the fasting month
takbiran to chant Allahu Akbar! (God is great!) over and over
ulama a pious and learned Muslim
