'Hari Raya', the most auspicious festival for Muslims around the world. 'Hari Raya' simply means 'A Day of Celebration' and it is celebrated in the month of Shawal. Before the festive week of Raya, every Muslim has to go through 30 days of abstinence from eating or drinking anything which is also classified as fasting. Fasting is actually a religious observance which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Fasting in Islam means not putting anything in any orifice of the body. Some may just take this as an opportunity to lose weight. However, the real reason behind the holy month of fasting is for us to experience what the needy endures everyday in their life.
During this month which is also called the month of Ramadhan, Muslims perform Sunnah prayers after breaking their fast. This is called as Terawikh prayers. Halfway through the fasting month, Muslims usually go into a shopping spree for their 'baju raya'. Every race has its own traditional clothing. The same goes for Muslims which is the 'baju kurung' for the girls and the 'baju Melayu' for the boys. The 'baju kurung' is actually quite a comfortable piece of traditional clothing which includes a long dress and a long skirt. Nowadays, this traditional clothing is adorned with beads, sparkling glitter and other accessories, making it look like something the Fairy Godmother would make for Cinderella on her special night. Other than that, the 'baju raya' also helps us learn the Malay culture. Basically, the 'baju raya' is a necessity when it comes to Raya.
In a blink of an eye, the 30 days of fasting comes to an end and we are allowed to celebrate Eid al-Fitr which is also called the Festival of Fast-Breaking. Before Eid, I usually help my mother with the household chores like cleaning, cooking and washing. We normally pull an all-nighter for that, However, when the morning sun rises, it's a whole new day. My mother cooks while I help her fill the small jars with small cookies. One of my favorite cookies would be jam tart. My father and my brothers are usually busy decorating the house with Raya cards and the hanging string lights. The first day of Raya is definitely an auspicious start. With the men in my family performing the Raya Salah at the nearby mosque, the women clean up the house for our open house. Every year, it is a tradition for us to hold an open house on the first day of Raya for all of our friends. Even though, I don't have a 'kampung' to go back to, I've always loved celebrating Raya in Penang, my hometown.
During the open house, we invited a lot of guests. The guests were friends of my father, mother, brothers and I. However, relatives do not attend our open house on the first day but they do visit us on the second or third day of Eid. What's the best part of the day? Definitely the 'duit raya'. Asking forgiveness from the elders and being gifted with a packet of 'duit raya' is undoubtedly the best part of the day. Not to forget, sharing the Raya cookies and the food my mother cooked with our guests during the open house. More so, the animated talking and the lively atmosphere is what I always look forward to during Eid.
We usually visit my grandmother on the first night of Raya. While our open house is in the morning, my auntie holds hers at night. We always love our grandmother's cooking which includes the scrumptious 'briyani' rice and the mutton curry. Surely, my mother's cooking is amazing but my grandmother's cooking is always the best. She is, what I call, the epitome of a chef. The night would move on with 'bonding time', Since my mother is the youngest in her family. my brothers and I are also the youngest among our cousins. Most of them have already started working and some of them are studying overseas so we only get to see them during festivals which is why we turn into a group of chatterbox once we are given the chance to converse. More 'duit raya' is collected during the night and more Raya cookies are shared. All in all, the first day of Raya comes to a bittersweet end.
However, simply with the first day, Raya does not end just like that. We visit our distant relatives throughout that week. We even play firecrackers and board games during the week. No matter what, I will always be eternally grateful that I have my family around to celebrate a joyous holiday like Raya in the best way possible. That marks my Hari Raya experience in my hometown.
References:
By: Nur Nabilah
During this month which is also called the month of Ramadhan, Muslims perform Sunnah prayers after breaking their fast. This is called as Terawikh prayers. Halfway through the fasting month, Muslims usually go into a shopping spree for their 'baju raya'. Every race has its own traditional clothing. The same goes for Muslims which is the 'baju kurung' for the girls and the 'baju Melayu' for the boys. The 'baju kurung' is actually quite a comfortable piece of traditional clothing which includes a long dress and a long skirt. Nowadays, this traditional clothing is adorned with beads, sparkling glitter and other accessories, making it look like something the Fairy Godmother would make for Cinderella on her special night. Other than that, the 'baju raya' also helps us learn the Malay culture. Basically, the 'baju raya' is a necessity when it comes to Raya.
In a blink of an eye, the 30 days of fasting comes to an end and we are allowed to celebrate Eid al-Fitr which is also called the Festival of Fast-Breaking. Before Eid, I usually help my mother with the household chores like cleaning, cooking and washing. We normally pull an all-nighter for that, However, when the morning sun rises, it's a whole new day. My mother cooks while I help her fill the small jars with small cookies. One of my favorite cookies would be jam tart. My father and my brothers are usually busy decorating the house with Raya cards and the hanging string lights. The first day of Raya is definitely an auspicious start. With the men in my family performing the Raya Salah at the nearby mosque, the women clean up the house for our open house. Every year, it is a tradition for us to hold an open house on the first day of Raya for all of our friends. Even though, I don't have a 'kampung' to go back to, I've always loved celebrating Raya in Penang, my hometown.
During the open house, we invited a lot of guests. The guests were friends of my father, mother, brothers and I. However, relatives do not attend our open house on the first day but they do visit us on the second or third day of Eid. What's the best part of the day? Definitely the 'duit raya'. Asking forgiveness from the elders and being gifted with a packet of 'duit raya' is undoubtedly the best part of the day. Not to forget, sharing the Raya cookies and the food my mother cooked with our guests during the open house. More so, the animated talking and the lively atmosphere is what I always look forward to during Eid.
We usually visit my grandmother on the first night of Raya. While our open house is in the morning, my auntie holds hers at night. We always love our grandmother's cooking which includes the scrumptious 'briyani' rice and the mutton curry. Surely, my mother's cooking is amazing but my grandmother's cooking is always the best. She is, what I call, the epitome of a chef. The night would move on with 'bonding time', Since my mother is the youngest in her family. my brothers and I are also the youngest among our cousins. Most of them have already started working and some of them are studying overseas so we only get to see them during festivals which is why we turn into a group of chatterbox once we are given the chance to converse. More 'duit raya' is collected during the night and more Raya cookies are shared. All in all, the first day of Raya comes to a bittersweet end.
However, simply with the first day, Raya does not end just like that. We visit our distant relatives throughout that week. We even play firecrackers and board games during the week. No matter what, I will always be eternally grateful that I have my family around to celebrate a joyous holiday like Raya in the best way possible. That marks my Hari Raya experience in my hometown.
References:
- dictionary-reference.com/browse/fasting
- islam.about.com/od/ramadan/f/eid_fitr.htm
By: Nur Nabilah
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