Sunday, July 19, 2015

Selamat Hari Raya!!

Selamat Hari Raya!

Hari Raya ( Also called Eid al-Fitr in other Muslim countries) marks end of Ramadan and a time where all Muslims from around the world celebrate with one another. In Malaysia, most of the Malay population will 'balik kampong' ( 'Return to their village' in English) in order to get together with their families.  So what does this mean? It means that... most of KL becomes eerily silent and empty. The roads once filled with heavy traffic become strangely calm with several places closed to mark the beginning of the Hari Raya holiday.  However since the program was still occurring during this time, we still had a lecture in the morning.  However I am not going to talk about that! Instead I will give an explanation of what usually happens during this important festive occasion! Even when not celebrating, one can still feel the Hari Raya festive energy in the air!
The night before Hari Raya... kinda quiet( except for some small  fireworks) since everyone is moving back to their hometowns.

But what does one do during Hari Raya?  While most Eid traditions are consistent among Muslims world-wide, in Malaysia one goes back to their families and ask forgiveness from one another starting from the oldest. ( I am the youngest so no one asks for mine! ). Another tradition is people opening their houses to guests, offering huge feasts.  

Fortunately for me my uncle invited me to his house. Since the  first day is usually just for family, so unfortunately the others members couldn't join. However had we stayed longer in KL, there may have been an open house where all people are welcome to attend.


Types of food served during hari raya



Hari Raya is also celebrated in Jakarta ( among its large Muslim population).  How does the Raya spirit fare over there? We will have to see.

So I wish everyone a SELAMAT HARI RAYA!!!


Naif Yusoff
CRS 2nd year

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