Easter Gift Packages as Grassroots Interreligious Engagement: Decolonial, Gender, and Intergenerational Perspectives from Kalimangli, Central Java

Novita Sari Sembiring

doi:10.15408/mimbar.v43i2.53211

Authors

Novita Sari Sembiring Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15408/mimbar.v43i2.53211

Keywords:

Interreligious engagement, Easter gifts, Christian–Muslim relations, Decoloniality, Grassroots solidarity, Kalimangli

Abstract

Studies of interreligious relations in Indonesia have focused on institutional dialogue, giving limited attention to everyday grassroots practices and the power relations they involve. This study examines the distribution of Easter gift packages in Kalimangli, Central Java, a Muslim-majority agrarian hamlet where Christians make up about 7% of the population, as interreligious engagement through decolonial, gender, and intergenerational perspectives. This qualitative case study draws on participant observation on April 20, 2025, and interviews with two church representatives, and thus reflects primarily the organizers’ perspective. The results indicate that distributing necessities to all 180 families, regardless of religion or economic status, appears to create space for encounter, solidarity, and neighborly relations without shared rituals. However, concerns about “Christianization” noted in previous research and potential giver–recipient power imbalances remain. The study concludes that a religious celebration can become an interreligious social practice without erasing distinct identities. Further research should incorporate recipients’ perspectives.

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