Always Overshadowed By Congestion For Hours, Why Is Homecoming Tradition Never Luntur?

JAKARTA - Lebaran homecoming has become an inseparable tradition from Indonesian culture. Tens of thousands and even millions of people choose to return to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

The Ministry of Transportation predicts the number of travelers in 2024 will reach 193.6 million people or equivalent to 71.7 percent of the total population. This number increased 56 percent compared to the 2023 Eid homecoming period of 123.8 million people returning to their hometowns. In fact, the value of money transactions on Eid al-Fitr this time is estimated to be more than Rp157.3 trillion which rotates in homecoming destinations and tourist destinations.

In a survey of potential community movements during Eid al-Fitr 1445, 39.32 million or 20.3 percent of residents were interested in going home by train, 37.51 million (19.4 percent) of residents chose buses, 35.42 million (18.3 percent) people chose private cars, and 31.12 million (16.07 percent) of travelers chose motorbikes.

"In 2024, land modes are still a concentration of transportation considering the use of private cars, buses on toll roads and non-toll roads are still dominant," said Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya.

In order to unravel congestion due to the high number of travelers, the Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas) has made a number of regulations such as defending odd-even contraflows and a one-way system on the Trans Java Toll Road. In addition to dealing with heavy traffic, travelers in various regions are also overshadowed by the threat of floods and landslides due to extreme weather.

Every year many heartbreaking stories during homecoming, ranging from extraordinary traffic jams, accident numbers, and other heartbreaking stories. Homecoming is arguably one of the most tiring trips. The volume of vehicles that accumulate at almost the same time, causes traffic jams to occur everywhere.

The public may still remember the heartbreaking incident on the exit of the East Brebes Toll Road or Brebes Exit (Brexit) in 2016 which was said to be one of the worst moments during Eid homecoming.

A total of 17 people were reported to have died because their vehicle was stuck in traffic for decades on the first Trans Java Toll Road.

The incident occurred days before Eid al-Fitr 2016, when it fell on Wednesday, July 6.

Homecomers have started to flock from Jabodetabek since July 1, 2016 and this is where the Brexit incident occurred. Citing Kompas, Brexit is located at kilometer 57.5 on the Pejagan-Pemalang Toll Road, Central Java. This toll road is a series of toll roads that stretch from the Palimanan area and are built to unravel the bottleneck of the Pantura route. But at that time the toll road was only opened in half, namely Pejagan-Brebes Timur.

At the end of the toll road that has not been connected, there is only one toll gate, namely East Brebes. This makes the vehicle pile up there. Congestion is exacerbated because shortly after the toll gate there is an intersection that brings together the flow of vehicles coming from Cirebon via Pantura.

The meeting of the two currents caused a severe traffic jam. The road cannot accommodate the volume of the vehicle.

The length of the retail on the Pantura route is more than 20 km. while the congestion on the toll road is spread along 25 km, which spreads from the East Brebes Toll Gate to the Kanci area, Cirebon.

Another factor that causes severe congestion is that the police fail to anticipate a surge in the volume of vehicles that come simultaneously on the 2016 homecoming flow.

Along the traffic jam, many motorists are tired, the car runs out of fuel, and others.

According to various sources, 17 people died in this congestion and dozens were hospitalized. Causes of death vary, ranging from heart attacks, carbon dioxide poisoning, to fatigue.

After two days and two nights, traffic jams finally broke down too. This is after police officers imposed a one way in Pantura.

Although homecoming is always haunted by congestion, this phenomenon never disappears in Indonesian society.

Homecoming is a general term for activities to return to their hometowns or homeland. Large-scale human movements from city to hometown usually occur in countries whose population is centered in big cities to migrate. When there is a religious celebration, they flock back to their hometowns. This also happened in China during Chinese New Year celebrations.

Homecoming comes from the Malay language which means upstream or end. In the past, the tradition of Malay people living in upstream areas of the river often traveled to downstream areas of the river using boats or Biduk to meet distant relatives.

"It comes from Malay, fun. The context here goes to the estuary, then goes home. When people start to migrate, because there is growth in the city, the word homecoming is known and maintained until now, when they return to their village," said Gadjah Mada University (UGM) anthropologist Heddy Shri Ahimsa-Putra.

It is said that the phenomenon of going home had existed since before the days of the kingdoms of Majapahit and Mataram Islam. However, the term Eid homecoming itself only became popular in the 1970s, after the New Order era carried out the construction of economic centers in big cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Medan, which caused villagers to flock to look for work.

Heddy said that those who live and work in the city have not seen family and relatives for a long time. In fact, while in the village, you can be close to family and relatives.

"It must be missed, waiting for a fairly long holiday so that you can gather, very much awaited. Because in Indonesia, Muslim society is the most, so Eid al-Fitr is the choice. Different in Europe and America, many of its citizens return home during the celebration ofthanksgiving or Christmas, while in us, yes Eid al-Fitr," said Heddy.

In addition to letting go of homesickness for family, according to Heddy, he also became a showy event for his success in being monitored for some people. Another motivation is because he wants to show that he has succeeded economically," he said.