'It's time to be merry': Millions of Indonesians in Eid travel exodus

Vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway heading out of Jakarta near a toll booth in Cikampek, West Java, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, as people are heading to their hometowns for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya) festivities, which mark the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. -- Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP

JAKARTA (AFP): ens of millions of Indonesians are travelling by motorcycle, car, plane or boat to their hometowns in an annual exodus for the Eid (Hari Raya) holiday that begins in the world's largest Muslim-majority country on Wednesday.

Like China's Lunar New Year holiday or Christmas elsewhere, the mass movement kicks off an extended holiday as many in the Southeast Asian archipelago celebrate the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan with family.