Colours of Aidilfitri

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 extracurricular 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. 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.
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' villages 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 village, there is still work to be done. The first thing to do isto 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. 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 colours.

Colours of Aidilfitri
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 extracurricular 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. 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.
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' villages 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 village, there is still work to be done. The first thing to do isto 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. 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 colours.