How the #SaWitYoWit Twitter Hashtag Entertains During Ramadan

Who says Ramadan can’t be fun? Having a laugh on Twitter is one way to get rid of boredom and forget hunger during fasting days. For Indonesians, making jokes on Twitter is a favorite internet pastime.

Look for the hashtag #sawityowit on Twitter and you can see a stream of humor that’s a great means of whiling away the day. The hashtag is short for “Sahur With Your Twit.” It’s especially popular and active from ‘sahur’ (early breakfast at 3 a.m) before starting to fast until the afternoon when the fast can be broken. Little wonder that #sawityowit has been trending on Indonesian Twitter trends since the first day of Ramadan.

It was started a few years ago by three Indonesian comedians, Desta, Vincent Rompies, and Arie Dagienk. The Indonesian public loved the humor and latched onto the hastag, and it became a new kind of tradition at Ramadan to share jokes online. It developed into creating interesting quizzes to stimulate people to post their jokes. From school teens to celebrities, lots of Indonesian Muslims participate in the excitement online – it’s just a good way to have fun in these hard fasting days.

Jumping into social media is always a popular thing to do here, especially during Ramadan – allowing people to interact and make time fly by more quickly until it’s time to break the fast. It’s no surprise to see how telcos are so busy at this time, trying to maintain bandwidth and attract customers. We know how Indonesians love to do many things with their mobile phones, such as sending messages, chatting, and social networking. As long as it keeps them from boredom, it’s always good to use social media and share some laughs.

So, how do you spend Ramadan where you are? Share your tips in the comments for having fun in the holy month.