KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Thousands of Muslims marked the first day of Raya Aidilfitri this morning with prayers at the mosques.
The Muslim houses of worship in the Klang Valley were filled to overflowing, with congregants taking up the space even outside the main hall.
Families dressed in traditional outfits with matching colours were among those who visited the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur and the Masjid Putra in the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya to perform their prayers.
This despite the earlier exodus out of the Klang Valley that clogged up the north-south and east-west highways in the peninsula for the past few days as many city dwellers whose families were originally from other states, chose to celebrate the religious festival in their “kampung”.
In contrast, highways linking cities in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya saw relatively smooth traffic this morning, based on CCTV images posted online by the Malaysian Highway Authority.
Weatherwise, the Meteorological Department forecasts heavy rain and/or lightning storms in parts of the east coast of peninsular Malaysia this afternoon.
Among the areas predicted to have inclement weather are: Kota Baru, Bachok, Machang, Tanah Merah, Tumpat, Pasir Mas, and Pasir Puteh in Kelantan; Marang, Dungun, and Kemaman in Terengganu; Kuantan, Pekan, and Rompin in Pahang; Mersing and Kota Tinggi in Johor.
