What is Idul Adha 

Is a celebration to commemorate Ibraham (Ibrahim) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael in Allah's (God's) commad to test their faith in him. 

The Story 

The story began in 'the valley of Mecca' (in present-day Saudi Arabia) around four thousand years ago. 

When God instructed Ibraham to bring hagar, his Arabian (Adnan) wife, and Ishmael, his only child at the time, to Arabia from the land of Canaan. 

During Ibraham preporation for his journey, his wife ask him, is God order him to leaves his family here? Or is he just leaving them here, in his own accord, to die. But he just nodded, afraid that he would be to sad and that he would disobay God. And apparently she trusted him and let him prepare for his journey, either by faith and her husban connection with God (he is one of the Prophet) she let him go on his journey back to Canaan. Even though he left them with a large quantity of food and water to Hagar and Ishmael, supplies quickly ran out, and within a few days they felt a pangs of hunger and dehydration. 

Hugar ran up and down between two hills called Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, in her desperate attempt for water. Exhausted, she finally colapsed near her baby Ishmael and prayed to God for deliverance. Miracously, a spring of water gushed forth from the earth at the feet of baby Ishmael. With this secure water supply, known as the Zamzam well, they were not only can not only able to provide for their needs,  but were also able to trade water with passing nomads for food and supplies. 

After years has passed. God has give Ibraham another instruction to return from Canaan to build a place of worship adjacent to Hagar's well (the Zamzam well). Abraham with the help of his son, have constructed a stone and Morter structure, known as tha Kabaa, which was  to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in God. As the years passed (again), Ishmael was blessed with prophethood (nubuwwah) and gave the nomads of the desert his message of submission to God. After many centuries, Mecca became a thriving desert city and a major center for trade, thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zamzam. 

One of the main trails of Abraham's life is to face the command of God to sacrifice his only son. Upon hearing his command, he prepare himself for this. During his preperation, Satan (Shaitan) tempted Ibraham and his family by dissuade them from carrying God's commandment, and Abraham drove Satan away by throwing at him. To commemorate him to not be tempted by the Devil's offer, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars signifying Satan during  the Hajj rites.  

When Ishmael was about 13 (Ibraham being 90), God decided to test their faith in public by commanding Ibraham to sacrifice his son, the command was communicated through dreams. 

But, Ibraham wouldn't just sacrifice his son, so he ask his son for consent if he's willing to give up his life in fulfillment of God's command. This consultation would be a major test of Ishmael's maturity in faith; love and commitment for God; willingness to obey his father; and readiness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God. 

When the matter was presented to his son and ask for his opinion about the dreams of him as a sacrifice to fulfill of God's command. Ishmael does not show any hesitation or reservation. He said, "Father, do what you have been commanded. You will find me, Insha'Allah (God willing), to be very patient." His mature response, his deep insight into the nature of his father’s dreams, his commitment to God, and ultimately his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God were all unprecedented.

When the time time to sacrifice his son to Allah. As he attemp to cut Ishmael's thout, he was astonished to see that Ishmael was unharmed and instead,   he found a dead ram which was slaughtered. Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out God's command.

Traditions and Practices

• Men, women, and children are expected to wear their finest clothes to perform Eid prayer. 
• Muslims sacrifice their best domestic animals, usually a cow, but it can a camel, goat, sheep or ram depending on the religion. As a symbol of Abraham's willingness  to sacrifice his only son. 
• The meat from the sacrifice animals are divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relative, friends, and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy. Thought the division is purely optional. 
• Men is Wajib/compulsory to pray in the mosque to pray the Eid prayer. Women are also highly encouraged to attend, althought is not compulsory. 

Thank you and if I miss a few information or the facts isn's right, sorry. Until next time. 

(source by:Wikipedia)  

What is Idul Fitri?

Hello, everybody, today I'm going to talk about a national Muslim holiday called; Idul fitri, or Lebaran. 

Where does the name "Idul Fitri" derived from?

"Idul Fitri" is Indonesian spelling of Arabic "Eid al-Fitri", and the Arabic meaning of "Idul Fitri" is "becoming holy again". While "Lebaran" is localized name for this festive. "Lebaran" (in looser term) sometimes used to describe similar

festivals and celebrations. For example Indonesia the term lebaran haji (lit: hajj's lebaran) is informally used to describe Eid al-Adha, also lebaran cina (lit: Chinese lebaran) for Chinese New Year, Christmas however, although bearing similarity in abundance of foods, is never referred to as lebaran, but just natal or natalan instead. 

The date of Idul Fitri 

The dates of the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan, vary from year to year, as the Muslim calendar (Hijrah) is based on a lunar cycle of 29 or 30 days. The exact date is determined by the sighting of the new moon. These lunar calculations lead to an official announcement by the government on the eve of Ramadan and Idul Fitri so that the faithful know when to begin and end the fasting month. In 2014, Ramadan is expected to start around June 28th and Lebaran will fall on 28-29 July, with most offices and businesses taking "collective leave" From July 31 to August 1st.

What is Idul Fitri about? 

Idul Fitri is a unique tradition/holiday. The traditions is derived from Javanese, and to which that we're going to talk about are sungkem and and the consumption of ketupat (sorry if its not very informative, or there are more tradition/custom then the one I listed). 

Sungkem is javanese tradition to ask for blessing and forgiveness from any wrongs they have commited in the previous year to their parents, grandparents and elders. The parents sitting on the chair while the children and youngsters bowing deep with their nose tip touches their hands that rest upon parents' laps. It is the sign of humility, expressing dedication and honoring parents and elders. 





      The tradition of preparing and consuming ketupat during lebaran is believed to be introduced by Sunan Kalijaga. 





Ketupat also contains some symbolism. It is believed that kupat means ngaku lepat or "admitting one's mistakes" in Javanese.  The crossed weaving of palm leaves symbolizes mistakes and sins committed by human beings, and the inner whitish rice cake symbolize purity and deliverance from sins after observing Ramadhan fast, prayer and rituals. 
Other than Java, the tradition on consuming ketupat during Eid ul Fitr is also can be found throughout Indonesia; from Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, also to neighboring Malaysia. 

Is there a perk in celebrating Idul Fitri or a drawback? 

Like Christmas they have Christmas bonus, where the people who celebrate it have an annual vacation and paid in full. Idul Fitri also have a similar bonus, which is called Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR) and do to the paid in full bonus, retailer decorate their store with Lebaran theme decoration and discount to attract shoppers.

    workers, especially unskilled laboures such as maids and constrution workers, return to their town, or city to their parents to ask forgiveness from parents, in-laws, and other elders. This is known in Indonesia as mudik or pulang kampung (homecoming). It is an annual tradition that people in big cities such as Greater Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya or elsewhere, travel to their hometowns or other cities to visit relatives, to ask forgiveness, or just to celebrate with the whole family. 

The government of Indonesia provides additional transportation to handle the massive surge of travellers in several days prior and after the lebaran. In 2013 there are around 30 million people travels to their hometowns during lebaran holiday, brought and spend the total sum of money around 90 trillion rupiah (around US$ 9 billion) The numbers of Indonesians that took mudik or pulang kampung travel is quite tremendous, the numbers is slightly equal with the whole population of Malaysia hit the road altogether, causing massive traffic jams and a sudden rise of demand and volume of intercity transportations. 

The logistics of this exodus causes enormous headaches for the government each year. During this period the streets in Jakarta are nearly empty as the population decreases dramatically. The hardships and inconveniences endured by the travelers in overcrowded buses, trains and cars is unbelievable, yet they feel that this is a small price to pay to spend the holidays with their family and friends. Traditionally these urban dwellers return to the village with gifts or money for their family, purchased with their earnings from the previous year, or their holiday THR bonus. 

There are two peaks to this exodus which cause major logistical nightmares: 1) the departure from the urban areas back to the home village/town a few days before Idul Fitri and 2) the return to the town of residence normally 1-2 weeks later.

They often return from the exodus accompanied by relatives and friends looking for work in the cities, furthering the pressures of urbanization. The government attempts to prevent the “socially undesirable” such as beggars, vagrants and others from migrating to the cites, but the task is overwhelming.  

Various Traditions that associated with Ramadhan and Lebaran

Bazaar/Pasar Amal - Organized by various civic, charitable and neighborhood organizations, goods are sold at discounted prices to help the poor celebrate the holidays with new clothing and special foods.

Bedug Lebaran - The traditional bedug drums are beat at maghrib to notify the faithful that it is time to break the fast. Starting on the evening of the last day of Ramadhan and continuing throughout the night and into the following day, the bedug are also beaten in the Takbiran celebrations either in stationary locations, or in parades through the streets. Takbiran is the prayer and celebration heralding the Idul Fitri holiday. Loud and boisterous parades and celebrations are held throughout the entire nation, which includes drum beating accompanied by amplified prayer and                                                           lively Islamic music.

Bingkisan Lebaran - Elaborately wrapped parcels are given by business colleagues or associates to Muslims in the week prior to Lebaran. They are usually arranged in a rattan or wood basket and contain food, small household appliances or dishes.

Buka Puasa - Breaking the fast, the meal at sunset.

Busana Muslim - Fashionable Muslim apparel worn for festive occasions such as Lebaran.

Kartu Lebaran - Many people send greeting cards to their Muslim friends (whether they themselves are Muslim or not). For sale in shops throughout the city, Lebaran card designs should not depict people or animals. Geometric designs, mosques, traditional textiles or ketupat are common. Most cards have the date of 1 Syawal 141_ H written on the card. You need to fill in the appropriate year in the space. In 2015, the Hijrah year will be 1436, in 2016 it will be 1437, etc. Calligraphy artists design specialized cards for customers on sidewalks near post offices and major market areas.  

And that is everything that I know about Eid Al-Fitri, by reading the wikipedia of it, and other source for information. So, I hope you have a great Idul Fitri, bye. 

Angel Effect. 

Hello again, as you already notice either from your notifier, or you just found this site and just read the title.  

So, today we're going to learn how to make our self to look like angel, or someone else. 

Step 1: Pick a background and a picture of yourself. 

Use a background picture that have a lot of open space to make it easier to manipulate the picture and the beam of lights. Also, take a picture of yourself, or a friends posing as and angel, you can use the picture at the the top for reference.

Step 2: Create the Beam of Light. 

Start by adding a new layer, then make the circular part of the beam of light by using an Elipse Tool with the Fill Pixels in the shaping tap. After you made your elipse, use the free transform tool and make the shape as you see fit, then use the Gaussian Blur effect in the Layer Tab.
To make the beam of light, it  almost the same as making the circular part earlier, make a new layer. Use a Polygonal Lasso Tool to draw a rectangle with the top part of it's smaller then the bottom, then, fill the shape with the color white by using the New Fill Layer in the Layer Tab, make the beam of blurry with Gaussian Blur effect. As you may already notice, the beam of light is solid white. To fix that, use the Blending Tab on the right side of the screen and use the blending mode 'Overylay'. To turned the background of the solid white shape into a bright beam of light.

Step 3: Create your angel. 

Make your angel by taking a photo of your self in an angel position, or download one in the internet, my recommendation is to snap your own picture, because its much easier then searching for a specific position for your photo (unless the photo you're making require a picture with the characters having wings in certain angle, a clothes that blowing at the wind, or a position you cannot do). 

After you found, or make the picture you're gonna use. Start by open the picture in Photoshop and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to cut the picture and place it in the background with the beam of light. Cut the edge of the body very closely so their is no excess picture in the angle, if you're having trouble cutting the picture, you can zoom in on the picture, until you can cut the picture much easier.
After you encircled the picture, use the Move Tool to drag the picture to the background layer, then use free transform to make the proportion/size of the picture as you seen fit (make the angle the same size as the background/beam of light).

Step 4: Create the angel wings. 

Use a custom brush pact called; Feathered_Angel_Brushes, you can choose any angel wings, but the most important aspect is the wings (gradient) color, size, contour and shadowing to make the wings have a sense of depth. You can create this sense of depth by using Layer Style in the Layer Tab. In Layer Style, their is multiple effects that can be use together to make many kind effects, this is a few name for the effect I used to make my angel wings; Inner Shadow, Bevel and Emboss, Contour, and Texture. You can make the effects however you see fit (i.e:the distant of the shadow, angle of the shadow, Contour Curve profile, to make a shadow in a non linear way). 

Step 5: Add a ring in the beam of light. 

This is a small detail that you can add to the beam of light to give it a bit of flare. Start by using another custom brush pact name; Solid Tech Rings, you just add another layer for the rings, adjust the diameter of the brush, click the mouse once, then use free transform to adjust the size and placement of the rings, and then you're done. 

I hope this tutorial given you an idea if not, then it's okay, see next time.