Colours of Aidilfitri

2009/09/17

Norra Shamiela Ruslan, 16, Penang

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the celebration all Muslims look forward to each year after a whole month of fasting. Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the Malay term for Eid ul-Fitr which literally means “Celebration Day of Fast”. It falls on the first day of Syawal, the month after Ramadan in the Muslim calendar.

As that day draws closer, a to-do list is put together. The first would be spring cleaning. However, this is the one thing the majority of Muslim teenagers dread.

As if it is not tiring enough having to juggle fasting, school and extra-curricular activities, we now have to help clean up the house!

As the elder sister, I get assigned to heavy duty chores while my sisters have their feet on the table.

Next on the list is shopping for clothes. This is the chance for a teenager like me to update my wardrobe.

Ketupat Daun Palas

However, as it is a custom for the Malays to wear traditional clothes on the first day of Raya, a big part of the shopping spree is spent on checking out baju kurung or baju kebaya for the girls and baju Melayu for the guys.

Some people have their clothes tailor-made specially for Hari Raya.

The celebration these days gets more exciting with a bit of creative thinking. For example, some families have a colour theme where all members wear the same coloured attire with matching shoes.

Once the shopping is done, families are ready to pack up for their balik kampung trip.

The trip can be daunting as the highways and roads are often jammed with cars and buses in the balik kampung marathon.

The trip can be dreadful but for me and my family, it is always nice to get away from the big city and just relax in the countryside.

Every year, my family and I head down to Negeri Sembilan where both of my parents' kampungs are located. Though the trip can be boring at times, we always look forward to meeting other family members. This, to me, is the most important element of this festive season.

At the kampung, there is still work to be done. The first thing to do is put up the oil lamps known as pelita which my cousins and I do every year. As the rendang is being cooked outside the house in a big pot, my cousins and I get busy filling ketupat cases with rice. Besides ketupat and rendang, lemang and other traditional dishes are also cooked.

On the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, mosques echo with Muslims reciting the takbir as a sign of the end of Ramadan. In some communities, congregations will go from house to house reciting the takbir.

The next day, is Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Everyone is up early, eager and excited. After breakfast, everyone except the children, will go to the community mosque to attend Eid prayer. After that, it is common for Muslims to visit the graves of their departed loved ones.

In the kampung, oil lamps known as pelita are put up as part of the celebration

I go with my family to my grandfathers’ graves and recite the Al-fatihah and surah Yassin.

The rest of the day is filled with visits to homes of relatives and friends as well as receiving guests at home.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a joyous occasion. Though it is celebrated by all Muslims in the country, each family celebrates it with the uniqueness that only the family itself can conjure up.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is not just a celebration. It is a wake up call to all Muslims to fill the day with forgiveness, a caring spirit, and colour.