In Photos: Idul Fitri in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia may be a secular country, but as it is home to about 200 million Muslims – the largest Muslim population in the world – Idul Fitri, as Eid al-Fitr is referred to locally, is easily its biggest holiday.

A week before the Idul Fitri, which this year fell on Monday, July 28, millions of Indonesians travel home in the annual homecoming exercise known as mudik in order to spend the holidays in their hometowns with their families. In scenes played out every year, the roads and ports that make up country’s inadequate transportation infrastructure creak under the crush of humanity that swarms it.

Thousands of cars queue to board a passenger ship at Merak Port in Banten Province, Indonesia, on July 26, 2014. Photo by EPA

Despite frequent warnings and news of fatal accidents, entire families, luggage included, still make the long journey home aboard the only vehicle many Indonesians own – a motorcycle.

A family of 3 on a motorcycle waits to board a passenger ship at Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana, Bali, on July 24, 2014. Photo by EPA

This mass exodus from cities means Jakarta, the capital, which suffers one of the worst cases of traffic congestion in the world, enjoys about a week of peace and quiet.

A usually congested road in Jakarta is nearly empty at 8:30am on Friday, July 25, 3 days before Idul Fitri. Photo by Rappler

Once the date of Idul Fitri – the day of victory – is announced, a joyous celebration erupts throughout Indonesia that lasts throughout the evening.

Motorists blow their horns as they ride around Medan city in North Sumatra on July 27, 2014, the eve of Idul Fitri. Photo by AFP

The morning of Idul Fitri begins with prayers throughout the archipelago, be it in Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that enforces the Islamic sharia law, or in the predominantly Hindu province of Bali.