Yellow flowers collection

White flowers collection

Red flowers collection

Pink flowers collection

Purple flowers collection

Orange flowers collection

EID - THEN AND NOW IN MALAYSIA

For muslims, the Eid Fitr is the most looked forward day of the year, after a month of fasting. It is obvious looking at the preparation of new clothes, special dishes, family gatherings, duit Raya and fireworks, among others, making it the most wanted day for all ages, reflecting the joyfulness and happiness.

Breakfast

Starting the day, prior to going to the mosque, some food will be prepared for breakfast. This could be a portion of the special dishes prepared for visitors later in the day. The most famous is the ketupat and rendang.

Eid Prayer

Held in the morning, normally around 8:30 or 9:00am, a special Eid Prayer of 2 rakaats is performed at the mosques. This is followed by the Eid sermon and ended with attendees greeting and shaking hands marking the forgiveness we seek from each other.

Family gathering

First day of Eid will normally see family gathering where each member of the family will greet and seek forgiveness, especially from the elders, of prior mistakes or wrong doings that might hurt each other.

Conversation will normally revolve around updating each other of life accomplishment, new happenings and updates of various things. Reminiscing old stories and walking back in the memory lane is quite common especially between the older members of the family.  This is when the younger family members will get to know and imagine how Eid was celebrated during earlier times then compared to current.

During Eid, one should at least wear their best clothings, not necessarily a new one. An interesting story was told during this Eid gathering where Uncle X told us about the days when they were poor and hardly have any money to buy new clothes, his father bought them school uniforms instead to be worn so that they can save money and avoid having to buy clothings twice in a year.

Raya Cookies

The Raya cookies if not a must, is a common thing that you will find when visiting families and friends during Eid. Those days, cookies are mostly homemade but nowadays, you can buy it almost anywhere, from the bazaar stalls to the big supermarkets in town.

 

Duit raya (Gifts of Money)

Every children look forward to receiving duit raya during Eid celebration. It is quite common for working adults to give duit raya to their younger siblings, relatives and even the elders. For the children, this would be the time for them to chance on accumulating some extra pocket money and savings, to buy something on their wishlists or simply to save in their banks account.

Those days, especially in the villages, children would go around from house to house to collect duit raya, simply by knocking on doors and wishing selamat hari raya to the occupants.

 

Balik Kampung

For those working abroad or in another cities, balik kampung is term known for this yearly exodus going back to their respective hometowns. This will be the time to meet and spend some time with their family members and siblings.

With the exodus, comes the common traffic jams and packed public transportations when everybody rushes back to their hometown. Some may take up to 12 hours on the road just to get back to their hometown, depending on how far it is.

Visiting Graves

For those whom their elders or family members had passed away, it is also quite common to visit the graves during Eid. Some will take their time to clean up the graves a day or two prior to Eid in preparation for visits by other family members during Eid (before or after the Eid prayer).

Eid clothes

A lot of modern designs can be chosen from the various outlets selling the Eid clothings. The common design is the traditional localised Malay costumes, modern Baju Melayu or Baju Kurung or even middle eastern adapted fashions. Colors may vary but most families adopted to having the same color for the family and that could also vary from year to year. Some took the extra effort in having the made by custom tailors, made 2-3 months in advance.

 

Photos Sessions

Those days, photo sessions mean a visit to a local photo studio where the whole family in their Eid clothings will pose for family photos, later framed and printed for the albums.

Nowadays, with the advent of technology and smartphones, selfies, wefies and family photos are all taken by ourselves and shared via social media and messages. 

Wising you a blessed Eid with your loved ones,

#MalaysiaTravelBook