Eid al-Fitr is basically an invitation to return. Return to clarity after a month of self-restraint. Return to humility after a month of controlling desires. Return to opening the heart through forgiveness that is asked and forgiveness that is given. Therefore, Eid is not only celebrated in the mosque or at the dinner table. Eid lives in the embrace of the family, in meetings with parents, brothers, and relatives who have not seen each other for a long time.
That's where homecoming becomes more than just a journey. The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) on its official website reminds, homecoming has a strong social meaning, namely maintaining family relationships and kinship ties. Therefore, when people go home, what they bring is not just bags and souvenirs. They also bring longing, memories, and the desire to restore relationships that may have been strained.
This year, the homecoming flow is very large. The Ministry of Transportation projects that the movement of people during the 2026 Lebaran period will reach 143.91 million people, equivalent to 50.60 percent of the Indonesian population. These figures show how strong the human impulse to return home is, even when the situation is not easy. In the midst of economic pressure and global uncertainty, homecoming is still being carried out. That indicates that for many people, homecoming is not just a tradition, but an inner need.
President Prabowo Subianto also captured the meaning of the moment through the symbol of presence. On March 21, 2026, he performed the Idulfitri prayer at the Darussalam Mosque, Aceh Tamiang, with the residents. It is known that the residents of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra have not long been hit by disasters. After that, he returned to Jakarta and held an Idulfitri griya at the State Palace. The presence of the leader in the midst of the people, and then the openness of the Palace for the people, sends a message that the country should not feel far away on this day full of meaning of togetherness.
However, the value of Eid al-Fitr does not actually stop at the symbol. The value is actually born from the depth of meaning. After a month of fasting, people are invited to refrain from excessive behavior. After a month of humbling the ego, refraining from lust and desire. After a month of organizing the mind, people go home to resume broken relationships, remove obstacles, and start over with a more spacious heart.
Therefore, Lebaran can also be a mirror for the country. The country needs to learn to "return" like humans who return home. Return to the basics, return to the needs of the people, and return to common sense in managing the budget.
The lesson feels more important because this year's Lebaran comes at a time when the global situation is uncertain. The government is preparing various steps to help the community during the homecoming. At the same time, Indonesia is also facing external pressure due to the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. In the midst of the turmoil, world oil prices soared and the risk to the domestic economy also increased.
The government has indeed prepared several steps for efficiency. However, the word efficiency is not sufficiently understood as a fiscal term. Efficiency is a moral attitude. It requires the state to distinguish between what is essential and what is only complementary. Which is really needed by the people and which only spends the budget without great benefits. In the midst of rising energy prices, logistics costs that can be pushed, and purchasing power that has not fully recovered, every rupiah of state spending should be directed to the things that are most useful for the wider community.
Homecoming gives a deep message. People go home not because life is easy. It's because life is hard, people want to go back to the source of power as soon as possible, namely the family. Here the state should learn the same thing. In difficult times, the first thing to be arranged is priority. What must be maintained is the basic strength that supports the people's lives.
Idulfitri teaches that victory is not about merriment. Victory is the ability to restrain oneself. For the country, restraint is called efficiency. Cut what is not necessary, prioritize what is necessary, and make sure the people feel the results.
In the end, the people not only need a state that is present during Lebaran. The people need a state that, after all the apologies are said, continues to work frugally, clearly, and faithfully to the interests of the masses.
Happy Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah. Please forgive me for being born and dying.
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