CELEBRATING HARI RAYA IN THE PAST (part 1)

In the past, Hari Raya Aidilfitri which is also known as EID-UL-FITRI (Arabic name) was celebrated with full of ‘tata tertib’. The visitors were not only consist of family members and friends but it is widely open to anyone regardless who they are and where they are from. This is necessary because in the past Hari Raya means celebrating the winning festival with everybody and this shows that in the past Hari Raya is celebrated with full of excitement and happiness.

There is also some old people said that Hari Raya is the time when people do the ‘counter strike’ which mean when people visit your house for Raya then you have to visit their house as a mean of ‘payment’, Brunei people called this as ‘balas-balasan’.

Now let’s talk about house decoration. In the past, when the time, we called it as ‘waktu pukul’ (on the eve of Raya) people will start decorating their house, be alert that they only decorated their house on the eve of EID only, because if they prepare it earlier it will spoil the EID festivity. They use ‘tanglung’ if any or ‘minyak tanah’ as colorful light bulbs. These people will stay out night doing the decoration until the dawn arrives. There’s also extra activity during that night in which the youngster and children (restricted to female only) will be having henna and ‘mandi pulut’ but the older ones are not allowed!

After Hari Raya praying, family members will gathered together and that morning everyone will shakes hand and ask for forgiveness to each other, this will be lead first to the older ones then to the next. This first day of Hari Raya family members will only stayed at their house chit chatting and celebrating the end of Ramadhan with common food being serve in that morning raya such as ‘kelupis with curry meat and wajid’.
It will be the next day when people will go visiting the neighbors, friends or others people house. The Hari Raya celebration only lasted maximum for a week only.
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