FUN WITH FAMILY: Syamim (seated front, second right) is seen with some of her relatives during an Aidilfitri gathering.
TIME FOR FORGIVENESS: Awang (back, fourth left) with relatives from his mother’s side.
COLOUR THEME: Ardiana (back row, centre) and her family members dress in green for this family portrait.
GETTING READY: Ardiana’s parents Amir Abdullah Mohd Hassan and Zainab Majidi spruce up the house for Aidilfitri with the help of her niece Sharifah Azxarra.
HONOURING THE DEAD: Ardiana’s father Amir Abdullah Mohd Hassan and sister Arysha tend to a family grave during Ramadan.
FESTIVE GOODIES: Ardiana’s mother Zainab Majidi makes cookies for the festival as her niece Sharifah Azxarra looks on.
KUCHING: With Hari Raya Aidilfitri just around the corner, preparations for this major festival are now in full swing.
For some families though, getting ready for the special celebration began even before the fasting month.
“Usually even before Ramadan, our family will have a gathering at grandpa’s house after dawn. We call it sambutan awal bulan (pre-event celebration) and usually what we do is some Muslim rituals — starting with prayers, then recitation of Yassin and then berzikir,” said Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) lecturer Ardiana Mazwa Amir Abdullah.
“After that is the best time, which is to eat! This gathering is basically to welcome Ramadan as being the holy month. Everyone looks forward to Ramadan because every good deed that we do in this month, we’ll get double or even more than double rewards from ‘Allah’.”
She noted that while other families may visit the cemetery on the first day of Syawal, for her family, the visits are on the second or third day of Ramadan.
Another family tradition that they never fail to observe is to take family portraits a few weeks before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“This is a must and this is the time where we can wear our baju raya, before Raya itself. We always have a colour theme for every Raya. We will select a colour, for example pink, so everyone has the freedom to choose any shade of pink — either lighter, darker or hot pink. It can be any design, baju kurung, kebaya, or long dress to wear during the photoshoot as well as on the first day of Raya,” she said.
Ardiana has fond memories of the pre-Raya events of her childhood, especially during Ramadan.
“When I was a child, I didn’t really understand Ramadan. What I was excited about fasting was that I would get more duit Raya. I remember my dad would give us RM1 for each day we puasa and told us we must puasa the whole month so we get more duit Raya from our relatives. I miss those days as a kid!”
For Awang Khairuddin Sulong, the days before Hari Raya Aidilfitri are all about chores and getting the house ready.
“Most shopping is done close to Raya and usually we will get our baju Raya tailor-made several months before Raya.
“The one or two weeks before Raya are usually all about chores, getting the house cleaned up, dust free, squeaky-clean windows, television and monitor screens and also the ceiling fans as well. It is also a time when my mother will start baking biscuits and cakes,” he said.
Awang revealed that all his family members would be assigned cleaning duties, with his annual task being to wash all the cars on the eve of Syawal.
“Raya eve is an exciting day being the last day of Ramadan and the Raya mood will be doubled,” he said, adding that once all chores are done, the family will walk around the neighbourhood to admire neighbours’ decorations, such as the oil lamps.
The 25-year-old corporate planning executive described Hari Raya Aidilfitri as a very emotional time for his family.
“The main thing about Hari Raya Aidilfitri, besides gatherings with friends and relatives, we will apologise to our elders, relatives and friends, hence the Maaf Zahir Batin greeting.
“Tears will definitely be shed because it’s quite an emotional situation and the idea to apologise face to face, in the event of any serious wrongdoing takes a lot of courage and some very good timing,” he said.
Syamim Ikmal Kamil also spends time with her family before Aidilfitri on chores such as cleaning, cooking and shopping.
“Our family is quite the modern type so what we do are the usual things like what most other families do. In preparing for the festival, we will clean the entire house — paint the gate or walls depending on the need, trim the grass, and most importantly clean the cats’ area.
“We usually reuse the curtains and sofa covers from previous years, although this year we are getting new ones because of cat scratches. It is only during Raya that my mother will roll out the carpet,” explained the 28-year-old.
When it comes to Aidilfitri cookies and clothes, the family usually buys ready-made ones.
“My mother buys most of the cookies from Kuala Lumpur since she travels around a lot and she will also buy our ready-made baju kurung from there as well.
“When we were young, we used to tailor-make our baju kurung and kebaya, but sometimes we had problems in finding tailors during the rush period. Therefore, buying ready-made ones is preferred now,” she said.
Like many families, Syamim’s will also prepare the food together on the night before Syawal.
“Usually we will cook soto ayam or laksa Penang or laksa Sarawak, as our main dish for first day of Syawal. Our must-have dishes include rendang and curry, which we usually bring over to my grandmother’s house for open house. There we are able to enjoy grandmother’s trademark Raya dish, which is daging masak Palembang.
“As for lemang, we always buy from sellers, but sometimes my father-in-law will give us some of his famous lemang in steel as well,” she said, adding that other family traditions during this festival include giving cookies or cakes to the in-laws, visiting the cemetery and paying zakat fitrah at the mosque.