In Indonesia, cemeteries packed with the living ahead of Ramadan

AFP, September, 2007

JAKARTA (AFP) — Draped in a demure brown headscarf, Martini, 70, prays at her parents' graveside like thousands of other Indonesian Muslims ahead of the holy fasting month, lending a festive air to cemeteries here.

Muslims in Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic-majority nation, are set to begin Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar, on Thursday.

"Before the fasting month, I always come here to visit my late parents to pray for them," Martini explains, standing by their graves at one of the main cemeteries in the congested Indonesian capital Jakarta.

The sprightly woman has travelled more than two hours by public transport on her annual pilgrimage.

Hundreds of similarly tradition-bound Muslims have converged here, making the traffic jams worse than usual, while dozens of shrewd vendors eyeing a spike in sales have set up stalls among the graves.

Some come like Martini ...