Eid al-Fitr in Australia fell on Friday, 20 March 2026. In Indonesia, the date varied: Muhammadiyah also marked it on Friday, while the government and Nahdlatul Ulama set it for Saturday, 21 March. For members of the Indonesian diaspora in Melbourne, the time difference added another layer of difficulty to an already bittersweet occasion spent away from loved ones.
SBS Indonesian spoke with three members of the Indonesian diaspora in Melbourne: Sae, Ahimsa and Kiky, all of whom celebrated Eid al-Fitr this year far from their extended families in Indonesia.
Annisa Saraswati, known as Sae, is a Master's student at Monash University living with her husband and child. She said she would have a call with her extended family in Indonesia and pass the phone around so everyone could greet one another. The sungkeman, a traditional Javanese gesture of respect to elders, was performed over video call as well, with the phone placed at a distance so they could watch the ceremony on their screen.
What moved Sae the most, she said, was when her father asked every family member to send in their individual photos, then edited them together into a single portrait, as though they were all gathered at home.
Ahimsa W Swadeshi, a Master's student at the University of Melbourne, said what she missed the most was being able to embrace her mother after the Eid prayer. For her, technology could never truly replace being together in person, but it helped her stay connected and not feel alone.
Rizqie M Ihsan, known as Kiky, is also a Master's student at the University of Melbourne. Celebrating Eid without his family for the first time, he shared that a virtual sungkeman with his parents had been planned ahead of time.
While it was not the same, he said the companionship of fellow Indonesians in Melbourne was a blessing in disguise, as they could all relate to what each other was going through.
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