Today is Hari Raya! “Hari Raya” is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr. It literally means “Day of Celebration”. It is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.
During the Muslim month of Ramadan leading up to Hari Raya, it is mandatory for Muslims to fast from dawn to dusk. All Muslims except the young, old or infirmed must fast. This is the celebration of the breaking of that fast. Widely, markets, or “Ramadan bazaars” are held in many areas around the country, where all sorts of traditional Malay delicacies are sold for breaking fast.
On the eve of Hari Raya, Muslims will recite a special phrase in mosques. In some communities, there will be congregations reciting it from house to house. Here, big promotions and price discounts are given at shopping centers. Decorations are hung in public areas and Hari Raya songs will be played throughout the city.
Many people also traditionally return to their hometown generally from big metropolitan cities to rural areas.
Usually on the eve of the celebration, family members, especially mothers and housewives, will be busy preparing food, cakes, sweets, cookies and various delicacies to be served on the day of Hari Raya. Other family members will help in other chores such as decorating and cleaning up the house.
Muslims will attend Eid prayer in the morning and congregate later to meet and greet one another. Once the prayer is done, it is also common to visit the grave of their loved ones. During this visit, they will clean the grave and recite a chapter from the Qur’an. All these are done in hope that their loved ones are blessed by God and they are spared from the punishment of the grave.
The rest of the day is spent visiting relatives or serving visitors. Hari Raya is a very joyous day for children for this is the day where adults are extra generous. During the night, there are often celebrations with sparklers and firecrackers.
In many ways, it is a lot like Christmas!
