The storytelling that I narrated to my 6 years old youngest granddaughter who is in pre-school, Ilyan Faqihah binti Mohd Faiz when she felt the challenges of fasting in the month of Ramadan was about self-restraint. This is what Muslims are encouraged to learn and experience. For 29-30 days fast begins at dawn with the first sound of the Call of Prayer (Subuh), and ends with the Call for Prayer at sunset (Maghrib). During this time Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink and abstaining it teaches us how to restrain oneself in life.
Upon the completion of one month fasting in Ramadan, Ilyan and her siblings explore what it means to seek forgiveness with sincerity, during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This annual ritual of asking amnesty just something we do out of tradition to reflect on the relationships we may have neglected or taken for granted. We seek for sincerest forgiveness “Minal 'Aidin wal-Faizin” or “Mohon maaf lahir dan batin”.
Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a time for indulgence with our traditional festive foods, one period in Malaysia that most Muslims will have Open Houses for family, relatives, neighbours and friends. It's a time when Malaysians showcase their best hospitality, offering a wide array of traditional Malay delicacies, engaging in lively conversations, and strengthening bonds within the community simbolises harmony.
Preparation is key to hosting a successful Hari Raya Open House. It involves participation for the whole family started the last few days of Ramadan in metriculous planning, from setting up the house with festive decorations to cooking a variety of traditional dishes such as rendang, lemang, ketupat and satay. The goal is to create a welcoming home atmosphere that can cheer-up the festive spirit of Aidilfitri.
Based from the experience of my family, the Hari Raya Open House is more than just a social gathering; it's a vibrant expression of our kampung hospitality and traditional culturthat embracing the mood of forgiveness, gratitude, and togetherness for lasting memories.
Share your #RAYA2025 stories and stand a chance to win prizes worth up to RM6,200!
Find out how to join here. Don’t miss out! T&Cs apply.
Zulkifly Baharom is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
