Holidays & Observances in Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelago in South Asia. It is the largest archipelago in the world with over 17,000 islands and has the world’s 4th largest population. Throughout history, Indonesia has been touched by many different cultures. Due to those cultural influences and the many separated islands, Indonesia is now a melting pot of different cultures and traditions. People from different parts of the country speak different languages and lead very different lives. The unifying factor is that most of the country practices Islam, so the Islamic laws govern much of Indonesian life. Though not as popular today, Buddhism and Hinduism have both played an important part in shaping the country into what it has become today. Not many unifying official holidays are celebrated throughout Indonesia, instead many of the celebrations are religious and cultural.