Hunting for Woven Eid Ketupat Casings

By Hendra Setiawan for Suara Merdeka Daily, March 19, 2026

The Peterongan market in Central Java province’s capital city of Semarang, on Jalan Lampersari to be exact, was crowded with traders and shoppers hunting for all your typical household needs for celebrating Eid, from young coconut leaves, ketupat casings and chicken, to banana leaves and flowers, on Thursday March 19, 2026. Rows of stalls stretched along the road as far as the eye could see. The sound of bargaining echoed amid the noise of the crowd and the sound of heavy traffic.

Jumiati, one of the traders, seemed busy serving shoppers. The resident of Bangetayu Wetan, Genuk, has been selling here for decades.

She sells banana leaves, young coconut leaves, and ketupat casings. Young coconut leaves sell for around Rp. 10,000 a bundle, while ketupat casings cost from Rp. 10,000 to Rp. 15,000 depending on the size. “I’ve been selling here for a long time. From before I had children up all the way up until now I have grandchildren,” she said.

Not far from Jumiati, Saropah was selling ketupat made from palm leaves. The color is paler, but this variety of ketupat casing has its own advantages. “When you cook them, the kupat becomes whiter,” said this resident of Kembangarum, Mranggen, in the neighboring town of Demak.

The palm leaf ketupat casings sell for Rp 25,000 a bundle. To secure a site to sell from, she was willing to arrive early and even spend the night on the sidewalk. “I’ve been here since yesterday, I even stayed here overnight,” she said.

From a shopper’s perspective, the tradition of hunting for ketupat casings in Peterongan market has a long history. Supiah, a local resident, has been buying janur for making and cooking ketupat for Eid on Jalan Lampersari for a long time.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Jannah, a resident of Muktiharjo Kidul, who comes to Peterongan market every year. For her, the market has the biggest range of goods. “My parents have been bringing me here since I was little. Shopping here is fun, it has everything, it has everything you need,” she said.

Buyers keep coming and going until well into the afternoon. The other markets around the city are just as busy, like Karangayu market, Bulu market, Pasar Johar, and here at Penggaron.

The surge in trading in the lead up to Eid al-Fitr shows that tradition remains alive and well and community demand is still strong, evolving together with the times from year to year.

This post is based on https://www.suaramerdeka.com/image/detail/21254/berburu-selongsong-ketupat-lebaran.