Eid-al-Fitr or known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri locally marks the first day after accomplishing a month of fasting during Ramadhan for Muslims. The day starts off waking in the early hours of the morning preparing a journey to the Mosque for Eid prayers. Paying respects and cleaning the tombs of their loved ones who have passed on at the cemetery is commonly observed among the community as well. Preparing to look the best in Malay traditional ‘Baju Kurung‘ outfit followed by seeking forgiveness from the family members. This heartfelt and emotional moment is always felt by everyone celebrating the occasion, reminding us of family values. Newsfeed stream of family pictures and Hari Raya selfies would be the norm for most. The familiar scent of traditional Malay food engulfs the surrounding air when visiting the elderly and other relatives give the appetite anticipation of a feast coming everybody’s way. Recalling the giving out of ‘Duit Raya‘(Ang Bao/Money gift), back then when I was on the receiving end of it myself and my fellow young cousins would be eagerly looking out for the moment of distribution. As compared to countries in different regions, Eid al-Fitr is celebrated in different ways. For example in the Middle East, it is a tradition to gather at the patriarchal home after Eid prayers. Myanmar’s Muslim population celebrate the day with singing teams called ‘Jago‘ and sharing teachings of Islam while Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia have almost similar practice as Singapore. Here locally, apart from the Eid prayers, we place more importance to the family visiting and gatherings, even among friends and neighbours which what we call ‘Jalan Raya‘ (House Visiting). Undoubtedly day of great importance and cultural significance to the Malay community where our customs and traditions are celebrated. All of which has come a long way in our history for the foundations of building a multi-cultural society in Singapore.
However, the world in 2020 has been adversely affected by the Coronavirus (CoVid19) Pandemic. Singapore and other countries have implemented measures like the Circuit Breaker to contain the infection of the virus. Unfortunately, the ‘Hari Raya‘ season falls within this period, where social distancing measures and restrictions on household visitations are imposed. Despite the unfavourable circumstances, our Singaporean
Malay-Muslim community displayed a strength of resilience, firm community bonds and adopted a socially responsible mindset while celebrating the ‘Hari Raya‘.
Displaying positivity even when faced with challenges, families that celebrate ‘Hari Raya‘ still made the best of the situation. The annual ‘Geylang Bazaar‘ during Ramadhan was cancelled but the community worked around it by utilizing social media groups to still emulate the bazaar and deliver items. Even with stay home measures, I was moved to see pictures (within the same household) on social media of the Malay community still taking pride in the tradition and still made the effort looking their best traditional outfit. Families hosting their open houses using applications such as Zoom, Skype and Whatsapp. The technology era where some might have felt is causing our society to be increasingly anti-social has now brought us closer and given us the ability to still see our loved ones. This year may have proven to be a challenging but definitely a unique and memorable one for the Malay community.
As for myself, my father is currently in working in China unable to be with us during ‘Hari Raya‘ and when I had a Zoom session with my family, no complain from him but there was an only joy from his expressions which made me realize how much I have taken for granted all those years asking for forgiveness during our Eid mornings. In the future, I hope it is remembered as the time we stood resilient and displayed a true sense of the community bond in our culture. Not celebrating it by complaining, throwing race card or posting negative remarks on the situation but by putting the effort as a community into working around it and staying socially responsible. As President Halimah Yacob quoted, “Jauh di mata, dekat di hati”, a Malay slang which translates ‘Far from the eyes, but close at heart‘ personally, I think is appropriate in time especially like this, we must remember our distance is not because we are forgotten but because we love each other.
To all my family and friends, I would like to wish everyone ‘Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir dan batin.‘
by Helmy Hadi
Suave Cartel Media
suavecartelmedia.com 