Tradition of Homecoming, a Cultural Product of Urban Society
By: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
The tradition of homecoming on religious holidays is a cultural product of urban society from one village or region to another region or generally in big cities to visit their families and relatives who are still faithfully waiting for their hometown or the initial gathering place of the previous extended family in that place.
This urbanization phenomenon — village or regional communities who generally live in big cities, not only marks the large number of villagers or regional communities who leave their villages or regions to seek a living in the city, but also marks the absence of jobs in the village or in the region that cannot be relied on to meet the needs of themselves or with their families who also move to the city. Although the economic conditions of the work that can be used as a source of income for themselves or with their families, cannot fulfill the ideal desires.
However, odd job opportunities provide many opportunities to do, unlike those that can be obtained in the village or region that was forced to be left behind.
On the other hand, it is clear that the village or area of origin concerned does not provide many opportunities to be used as a mainstay of life, so the best choice is to carry out urbanization which ends in the misery of the village or area of origin of the urbanization, further strengthening the conditions of poverty, because not a few local natural resources are increasingly unable to be optimally utilized. Or even, not a few have changed hands to urban people from other areas who are able to take advantage of the opportunities and chances in the area.
Sociologically, the movement of people from one area to another will indeed make dynamic movements grow and develop because of the psychological influence to be more persistent and strong in fighting for a better life – which is felt to be freer and more independent – because to achieve success is like being free from various burdens – because it is relatively no longer a sense of shyness and hesitation – to do any kind of work, because the main thing is that maximum results can be achieved. Because of that, materialistic traits and attitudes tend to strengthen and color the way and pattern of luxurious life as a general measure of what is understood as success. Even so, there are still a few who are idealistic not to place success in material terms, but rather prioritize intellectual or even spiritual matters.
Likewise, for young people in villages or regions, they are more confident and believe that they can progress further — especially to obtain good and superior quality education — and have more opportunities to be obtained from education in big cities to leading developed countries in the world.
So the color of homecoming travelers at certain times in a very large flow, is also quite dominantly colored by students and students who are studying in various fields and levels. It’s just a shame that after graduating from formal educational institutions, there are very many who are reluctant to return to live and settle in their place of origin. So they too — after completing their studies and getting jobs in the city because they are reluctant to work in the village or in their place of origin — are now participating in enlivening the homecoming event during religious holidays, such as Eid al-Fitr this year.
Jakarta, March 26, 2025
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