Lebaran, or Idul Fitri, sees millions of Muslims return to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday. Holidaymakers are willing to queue, jostle through large crowds, or wait for hours in traffic jams in order to fulfil the tradition.

While part of the Muslim tradition, the actual exodus home, or mudik, is unique to Indonesia. A week ahead of Idul Fitri, the travelers begin to leave the capital and other cities and return home. Mudik has more in common with Javanese traditions stemming from the Majapahit Kingdom in which the peasant class would return home to clean the graves of ancestors and ask for salvation.

The term "homecoming" began to emerge in 1970 when Jakarta appeared to be the only Indonesian city experiencing rapid development. At the time, the country's centralized government focused on the town.

For residents living in the villages, Jakarta became a dream destination as a place to secure work and further a family's fortunes. But for Lebaran is always a time to return to ones roots and celebrate tradition.

Christianto Priambodo, director of operations at toll operator Jasa Marga, predicted travel volume would increase 6.17 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.

"Predictions of traffic flow forth volume have reached 2.23 million vehicles, compared to 2.09 million vehicles last year,"