Hari Raya Aidilfitri ... I remember those times. Growing up in a predominantly Malay community, celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri meant the roly-poly 'Makcik' from two houses away would give us lots of 'kuih batang buruk', 'kuih bahulu', 'ketupat' and the yummy beef 'rendang' on the first day of Raya itself.
Since moving away about seven years ago, I missed the Malay experience, and I am wont to appreciate more the essence of celebrating Raya. In those days, dressed in a 'baju kurung', I would visit my friends and spend the day just renewing ties and getting full from the kuih and rendang.
Mum would take a rest from cooking on major festivals such as Christmas, Hari Raya, Deepavali because in the town where we lived, we would be invited to all the open houses we could go to - which ranged from eight to 10 open houses per festival! From morning till night, we would all be busy and out of the house - visiting friends and tasting all the different curries and rendang and holiday cookies. At times we even had house deliveries - dad's Malay friends who had to pack up and 'balik kampung' would send us some lemang and Raya snacks - to compensate for not holding their 'rumah terbuka' that year.
As a child, I even sang along with those Hari Raya ditties they play on the TV and radio.
But here in the city, it is far more difficult to find a Malay friend as all my friends are back in the small town where I had many happy memories. Even if I could find a Malay family to visit here, chances are they will be going back to their hometown. This festival gaiety is lost in the mad rush to 'balik kampung' and the city is a deserted ghost town come Raya. One smart-aleck friend once remarked that "you could have a tea party in the middle of a KL road (during major festivals like Hari Raya)".
As a child, Norashikin Ali never truly appreciated Raya. She says, "As an adult now, I understand better what Raya actually means and I know how to celebrate it better according to Islamic practices. When I was a kid, I thought Raya is something that happens after fasting. Other than that I always thought it was about new clothes and money." This year, she is really looking forward to the long one-week holiday.
Norashikin Ali - who studies at Universiti Tenaga and professes a love for 'biskut arab' - recalls that her Raya routine meant "waking up early in the morning, getting dressed up in new 'baju kurung', welcoming visitors to our home and collecting 'duit raya'."
"When I was a student in the USA, things were different. I had to attend classes (on Hari Raya day)," she says.
She remembers that the Malaysian Muslims prayed together with Muslims of other countries. "Later that day, we had a simple feast which included rendang which we made ourselves and some cookies. That evening we organised a barbecue with the Arabs who lived there. We Malaysians cooked satay!"
This year, Norashikin will be celebrating Hari Raya in her hometown in Perlis with friends and family. "In the morning we will eat first before we leave for prayers. Then we will drop by to visit friends and relatives," she says, her excitement mounting at the thought of seeing her loved ones.
Among her list of must-do for Raya is preparing ketupat and rendang and visiting friends and relatives.
Pensively, Norashikin remembers that last year was more poignant as it was the last time she celebrated Raya with her mother. "Now she is no longer in this world, I celebrate with my siblings which is quite different. I'm more concerned with visiting relatives while my sisters would rather watch TV and stay at home." With a sisterly shake of her head, she adds that watching TV is not at all what Raya is supposed to be.
For Norashikin, celebrating Raya twice in a year is no big deal. She concludes, "What is more important is how we really make fasting and Raya a more rewarding and blessed (experience)."
Ahmad Taufaik, a thirtysomething teacher who lives in Alor Setar, celebrates Hari Raya with a childlike happiness as he says "It means that my fasting was a success!"
He recalls, "The best memories of Raya is having chicken for the big day as we were very poor in those days and Hari Raya was the one day that we could eat something other than kembung or salted fish."
"In those days when we got 20 sen (for duit raya), it would be too much (money). Nowadays (to the kids) RM5 duit raya means nothing," he laments. Other than that, he says that his favourite Raya delicacy is 'kuih cha', presumably a Penang favourite as his hometown is Penang. He adds almost conspiratorally, "Only my mum knows how to make 'kuih cha'."
His Raya routine is an early morning wake-up call for 'sembahyang subuh' then proceed to the nearest mosque, resplendent in his new Raya clothes, for special Raya prayers. Since his daughter's passing last year, he makes it a point to stop by the cemetery.
As for Raya celebration these days, he echoes Norashikin's grouse. He grumbles that television seems to be the main source of enjoyment for the younger generation. He says, "Those days we would go around the neighbourhood visiting friends and having fun outdoors."
Whether you are reminiscing about the good Raya days of yore or enjoying today's celebration, i-asianwomen.com wishes all our Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!
by Krista
27th December 2000
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