The celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri signifies the completion of the month long fasting after the month of Ramadan. It is the religious observation of sighting the moon to determine the day of HARI RAYA and it is a yearly affair that Muslims celebrate throughout the world.
Once the date is confirmed, the household of each family is busy preparing food on the eve of Hari Raya. The housewives are the most affected in that they are racing against time to get everything in order. Of course, the children are the ones who feel very excited to wear new clothes, play with fire works and receive the “Green Packet” which consist of money. This was adopted from the Chinese culture.
On the morning of the Raya, most family members go to the mosque for the special Raya prayer and then proceed to the graveyard to pay their respects to their departed loved ones. Younger family members ask for forgiveness of any wrong doing.
Like other festivals, all Muslims dress in their traditional clothing like “Baju Melayu” (sarong wrapped around their waist and songkok on their head) for the men and the women dress in “Baju Kebaya” or “Baju Kurong” in all sorts of colors.
Foods served are as follows :
• “Lemang” (rice cooked in bamboo)
• “Ketupat” which are rice wrapped in woven coconut leaves and cooked in coconut milk. They are often served with “beef rendang”,
• “Satay” (barbecued meat skewed on a stick and cooked over the fire)
• “Chicken curry”.
Open house or invitation for relatives and friends to come to their house is practiced and the celebrations last for a month. It is a common concept to have “Open House” during festival seasons like the other festival seasons like Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Gawai in Sarawak. Different races and different religion are able to accommodate with the understanding to be able to live together in harmony mixing freely on these occasions , visiting one another to celebrate the new year.
This is different from the Western Culture on visiting, they have to get invited and the guest is expected to bring a bottle of wine, chocolates or a cake. “Open House” means you come and visit them and you do not have to bring anything.
Visitors greet the host with “Selamat Hari Raya” which means A blessed New Year and the Muslims will say, “Maaf Zahir dan Batin” to the Muslims which means “All is forgiven”.
It is warm and joyous atmosphere to catch up with friends and relatives once a year.
A friend , Kristy from England residing in Piasau Camp says that coming to Miri, Sarawak has really enabled her to experience different cultures. She has encouraged me to write to let the others know more about Malaysia’s unique culture.
CONCLUSION
Today, with the changing life styles, the spirit of “HARI RAYA AIDIL FILTRI” is still observed and practiced where most Muslims would “Balek Kampong” which means “Going back Home” for the New Year. Visiting is still the popular trend among the old and young. Some hold their “open house” in hotels because of convenience and more room for their visitors ,but the concept of HARI RAYA ADILFITRI is still felt.
In Malaysia, we can consider ourselves living in the most cultured country to experience one’s culture and festival where racial harmony is maintained.
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