13 Spiritual Activities in Bandung During Ramadhan : The Devotion in the Holy Month

So, entering the third week of Ramadhan, what have you done all this time? As a Muslim, did you do as you’re told? To do better things for yourself and around you, especially in this very special month of the year. The month comes in order to bring changes for your life, better and meaningful changes if you feel it.

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Many people would like to use this opportunity to do what a real Muslim should do. Following what God has told, and not the following anything outside from it. They do pray and do good things, the spiritual activities to show the devotion to God Almighty. But what are those things? Is there any special thing in a particular location? With that foundation, we want to bring the spiritual activities in Bandung during Ramadhan.

1 – I’tikaf

Now in the first section of spiritual activities in Bandung during Ramadhan, we want to tell you about the religious things the Muslims always do during the holy month of Ramadhan. The first one is the I’tikaf. If you translate it directly, I’tikaf mean staying in a mosque for a certain period of time. The time period is decided by personal.

This activity is not must do, it’s actually Sunnah. But, many Muslims want to get the last 10 days hunting the Lailatul Qadar. They want to stay in the holiest place and strengthen their belief with praying, recite Quran, and even resting. Because of that special night importance, many would stay in a mosque for those last 10 days.

2 – Tarawih

The month of Ramadhan is always related to Tarawih. Tarawih is included as Sunnah activity, but seeing that you can only do Tarawih during Ramadhan, it seems to be wasting time without actually doing this exclusive activity in only a month of the year. Tarawih is praying in a mosque, with rakaat from 8 (usual) or even 23.

Many people during this month would come to the mosque and do Tarawih together with their friends and family. Well, aside from bringing goodness to the people who do it, they can also strengthen their bonds with relatives. It’s way better to do Tarawih rather than laying around in the house.

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3 – Witir

After Tarawih, there’s always Witir pray. Witir is three rakaat praying after Tarawih is done. In the mosques, people are always doing it. From the Isya’ time, they already in a mosque to follow series of praying to start from Isya’ Pray, Tarawih, and Witir. So you can say that Witir is the closure of praying activity in a day.

The rakaat is also not that many, so all people can basically do it without tiring. However, even though Witir is also Sunnah, Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. highly recommended it. That’s why the Muslims should do it because of that recommendation because they are plenty of goodness behind it.

4 – Recite Quran

And the next one in spiritual activities in Bandung during Ramadhan is to recite the Quran. Like you all may know already, the Quran is the Holy Book if Islam. It filled with guidance of life, lessons, old stories about Prophets, and also ways to reach Heaven. Short to say it’s an important aspect for a Muslim’s life.

In Ramadhan, because they want to gain as many merits as possible, usually people come to mosque and recite Quran. Even though they can do it at home, it feels more special or more intimate to give your devotion to Allah when you read it in mosque, the House of Allah. That’s why many people would like to do it aswell.

5 – Shadaqah

The next humble activity that is done only in Bandung, which is so meaningful yet important, is Shadaqah. Shadaqah basically means giving a portion of your wealth to the people who need it. For example, you can give a donation to the poor people who live nearby or to the orphans in your city.

Prophet Muhammad S.A.W said that the most important Shadaqah is the Shadaqah in Ramadhan. It’s better to give those who in need rather than spend the money on unclear things or on something that is not important for your life. It can serve way better purpose for them, especially someone who finds it hard to live every day.

6 – Keramasan

Now, it’s the second section of the list, which is the traditions that held in the land of Sunda during Ramadhan. From the sixth point to ninth, we want to explain some examples of what the people of Bandung always do in this particular month. Let us start with the first one, the Keramasan tradition.

Keramasa in similar to Padusan in Yogyakarta, which is an activity where people are taking a bath in order to cleanse themselves and be ready for the holy month. The practice is always done a day before Ramadhan. And after doing the activity, a family gather and give forgiveness to each other. With that, they can forget the bad past.

7 – Munggahan

The next traditional activity in the spiritual activities in Bandung during Ramadhan is Munggahan. Comes from the word “Munggah”, which basically increasing to a better place. The people of Sunda Garut usually do it in order to celebrate Ramadhan with the hope that they can get better from before.

In the tradition, there is two better conditions that they hope for. The first one is an increase in prosperity, and the second one is an increase in spirituality. Both of them are important and related to each other. Without one, the other will be meaningless.

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8  – Nyadran

The tradition of Nyadran is basically the same as Nyekar, which is to visit the grave of a family member who is already dead. Not only an important part of culture on Javanese island, but this activity is also important in Islam religion. Seeing the grave will be a reminder of our last resting place, where wealth doesn’t matter anymore.

Also, with seeing the grave, we can remember that even though they are dead, they still part of the family. And they shouldn’t be forgotten for whatever reason.

9 -Nyorog

And the last tradition on this section is Nyorog. Nyorog is an activity of sending gifts to fellow family members. The gift usually consists of dairy stuff, cakes, and even something sweets like a bottle of syrup. In tradition, the family also bring traditional foods to enjoy with other family members

Usually, the younger people are the ones doing it, sending gifts to their parents at home. This tradition clearly strengthens the bond of family.

10 – Braga Street

Now for the last section, we want to share places to spend your time during Ramadhan. Just like in any other people, the locals in Bandung would come to a fun place in order to make time goes faster so they can break the fast faster also. However, the first place that comes in mind if Braga street.

Braga street is a very colorful location in Bandung where people usually gather around in order to spend their good time. There are so many things to see here, including the decorations and communities activity.

11 – Caringin Telu

Another place in the spiritual activities in Bandung during Ramadhan is Caringin Telu. If you want to spend your time in a very refreshing place outside the city crowd, this is the place to go. Caringin Telu is located around a forest, high enough to see the view of Bandung city thoroughly, which is so photogenic.

People of Bandung usually go here starting from the afternoon until the time for breaking fast. The chill and cool atmosphere can make anyone calmer.

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12 – Tegalela Park

If the forest if too far for you, you can always visit the city park. There’s one in Bandung called Tegalela Park. Even outside Ramadhan, the place is already crowded because of the people really in love with its features. The park has so many things to give, including the sports facilities which can be enjoyed by everyone.

Aside from enjoying doing sport, the visitors can also enjoy the live music performance that held sometimes in a year.

13 – Paris Van Java Mall

Mall is always a good place. Just like Jakarta, Bandung also has some recommended malls for you to visit. But the most iconic one is Paris Van Java Mall. The mall is really accommodating people to do Ngabuburit. There are so many restaurants and cafe that can be chosen for breaking your fast.

The kids will be happy in here because there’s a mini farm located on the highest floor of Paris Van Java. They can learn about anything here, with fun for sure.